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GUY    BOOTHBY'S   NOVELS. 


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PHAROS,    THE   EGYPTIAN. 

Mr.  Boothby  has  proved  himself  a  master  of  the  art  of  story, 
telling  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  reader  who  asks  for  a  suc 
cession  of  stirring  events,  a  suspicion  of  mystery,  and  an  interest 
not  only  maintained  but  culminating.  It  would  be  unfair  to  ex 
plain  the  extraordinary  character  of  "  Pharos,"  or  to  do  more 
than  allude  to  the  series  of  strange  adventures  wherein  he  plays 
a  leading  part.  It  is  enough  to  assure  Mr.  Boothby's  readers 
of  delightful  thrills  and  an  interest  which  this  vivid  romancer  never 
permits  to  flag. 

THE   LUST  OF    HATE. 

Mr.  Boothby  is  at  his  best  in  this  romance,  which  is  character 
ized  by  unflagging  interest  and  by  most  stirring  adventures  in 
which  Dr.  Nikola  plays  a  leading  part.  "Dr.  Nikola"  was  con 
sidered  "one  of  the  most  thrilling  stones  ever  published." 

THE   BEAUTIFUL    WHITE    DEVIL. 

"  Here  we  have,  in  modern  form,  the  same  old  hairbreadth 
escapes,  the  same  extraordinary  adventures  following  one  another 
at  breathless  speed,  and  the  same  splendid  disregard  for  mere 
probability  that  marked  the  efforts  of  these  wizards  of  an  earlier 
day." — New  York  Sun. 

DR.   NIKOLA. 

"  Crowded  to  the  covers  with  the  mysterious,  the  startling,  and 
the  supernatural." — New  York  Mail  and  Express. 

"  A  novel  containing  a  more  ingenious,  exciting,  and  absorbing 
romance  has  not  appeared  upon  our  book  table  this  season." — 
Bos  tan  Courier. 

A   BID  FOR    FORTUNE. 

"  Mr.  Boothby  never  allows  the  interest  of  their  doings  to 
drop  from  first  page  to  last;  and  he  tells  his  tale  in  a  pleasant, 
brisk  fashion  that  carries  the  reader  along,  and  is  as  convincing  a 
vehicle  as  C'luld  be  chosen  for  the  relation  of  stranpe  adventures 
such  as  befell  the  hero  and  his  friends." — London  Times. 

THE  MARRIAGE   OF   ESTHER. 

"  Abounds  in  dramatic  situations,  and  is  bright  in  dialogue, 
graphic  in  description,  and  subtle  in  character  analysis." — Boston 
A  dvertiser. 

D.  APPLETON   AND   COMPANY,  NEW  YORK. 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN 


A   ROMANCE 


BY 

GUY  BOOTHBY 

AUTHOR    OF    DOCTOR    NIKOLA,    THE    LUST    OF    HATE, 
THE    BEAUTIFUL    WHITE    DEVIL,    ETC. 


NEW    YORK 
D.    APPLETON   AND   COMPANY 

1899 


PS1 


COPYRIGHT,  1898,  1899, 
BY  D.   APPLETON  AND  COMPANY. 


All  rights  reserved. 


PHAROS,  THE   EGYPTIAN. 


PREFACE. 

BEING  A  LETTER  FROM  SIR  WILLIAM  BETFORD,  OF 
BAMPTOX  ST.  MARY,  IN  DORSETSHIRE,  TO  GEORGE 
TREVELYAN,  OF  LINCOLN'S  INN  FIELDS,  LONDON. 

"MY  DEAR  TREVELYAN:  Never  in  my  life  have 
I  been  placed  in  such  an  awkward,  not  to  say  invidi 
ous,  position.  I  am,  as  you  know,  a  plain  man,  fond 
of  a  plain  life  and  plain  speaking,  and  yet  I  am  about 
to  imperil  that  reputation  by  communicating  to  you 
what  I  fancy  you  will  consider  the  most  extraordinary 
and  unbelievable  intelligence  you  have  ever  received 
in  your  life.  For  my  own  part  I  do  not  know  what  to 
think.  I  have  puzzled  over  the  matter  until  I  am  not 
in  a  position  to  judge  fairly.  You  must,  therefore, 
weigh  the  evidence,  first  for  us  both.  For  pity's  sake, 
however,  do  not  decide  hastily.  In  dubiis  benigniora 
semper  sunt  praferenda,  as  they  used  to  say  in  our 
school  days,  must  be  our  motto,  and  by  it  we  must  abide 
at  any  hazards.  As  far  as  I  can  see,  we  are  confronted 
with  one  of  the  saddest  and  at  the  same  time  one  of 
the  most  inexplicable  cases  ever  yet  recorded  on  paper. 
1?  educed  to  its  proper  factors  it  stands  as  follows: 
Either  Forrester  has  gone  mad  and  dreamed  it  all,  or  he 
is  sane  and  has  suffered  as  few  others  have  done  in 
this  world.  In  either  case  he  is  deserving  of  our  deep 
est  pity.  In  one  way  only  are  we  fortunate.  Know- 

1 


2  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

ing  the  man  as  we  do,  we  are  in  a  position  to  estimate 
the  value  of  the  accusations  he  brings  against  himself. 
Of  one  thing  I  am  convinced — a  more  honourable  be 
ing  does  not  walk  this  earth.  Our  acquaintance  with 
him  is  of  equal  length.  We  were  introduced  to  him, 
and  to  each  other,  on  one  and  the  same  occasion,  up 
ward  of  twelve  years  ago;  and  during  that  time  I  know 
I  am  right  in  saying  neither  of  us  ever  had  reason  to 
doubt  his  word  or  the  honour  of  a  single  action.  In 
deed,  to  my  mind  he  had  but  one  fault,  a  not  uncom 
mon  one  in  these  latter  days  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
try.  I  refer  to  his  somewhat  morbid  temperament  and 
the  consequent  leaning  toward  the  supernatural  it  pro 
duced  in  him. 

"  As  the  world  has  good  reason  to  remember,  his 
father  was  perhaps  the  most  eminent  Egyptologist  our 
century  has  seen;  a  man  whose  whole  mind  and  be 
ing  was  impregnated  with  a  love  for  that  ancient  coun 
try  and  its  mystic  past.  Small  wonder,  therefore,  that 
the  son  should  have  inherited  his  tastes  and  that  his 
life  should  have  been  influenced  by  the  same  peculiar 
partiality.  While  saying,  however,  that  he  had  a  weak 
ness  for  the  supernatural,  I  am  by  no  means  admitting 
that  he  was  what  is  vulgarly  termed  a  spiritualist.  I 
do  not  believe  for  an  instant  that  he  ever  declared  him 
self  so  openly.  His  mind  was  too  evenly  balanced,  and 
at  the  same  time  too  healthy  to  permit  such  an  en 
thusiastic  declaration  of  his  interest.  For  my  part,  I 
believe  he  simply  inquired  into  the  matter  as  he  would 
have  done  into,  shall  we  say,  the  Kinetic  theory  of 
gases,  or  the  history  of  the  ruined  cities  of  Mashona- 
land,  for  the  purpose  of  satisfying' his  curiosity  and  of 
perfecting  his  education  on  the  subject.  Having  thus 
made  my  own  feelings  known  to  you,  I  will  leave  the 
matter  in  your  hands,  confident  that  you  will  do  him 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  3 

justice,  and  will  proceed  to  describe  how  the  pathetic 
record  of  our  friend's  experiences  came  into  my  pos 
session. 

"  I  had  been  hunting  all  day  and  did  not  reach 
home  until  between  half-past  six  and  seven  o'clock. 
"VVe  had  a  house  full  of  visitors  at  the  time,  I  remember, 
some  of  whom  had  been  riding  with  me,  and  the  dress 
ing-gong  sounded  as  we  dismounted  from  our  horses  at 
the  steps.  It  was  plain  that  if  we  wished  to  change  our 
attire  and  join  the  ladies  in  the  drawing-room  before 
dinner  was  announced,  we  had  no  time  to  lose.  Ac 
cordingly  we  departed  to  our  various  rooms  with  all 
possible  speed. 

"  There  is  nothing  pleasanter  or  more  refreshing 
after  a  long  day  in  the  saddle  than  a  warm  bath.  On 
this  particular  occasion  I  was  in  the  full  enjoyment 
of  this  luxury  when  a  knocking  sounded  at  the  door. 
I  inquired  who  was  there. 

"  '  Me,  sir — Jenkins,'  replied  my  servant.  '  There 
is  a  person  downstairs,  sir,  who  desires  to  see  you.' 

"  '  To  see  me  at  this  hour,'  I  answered.  '  What  is 
his  name,  and  what  does  he  want?  ' 

" '  His  name  is  Silver,  sir,'  the  man  replied;  and 
then,  as  if  the  information  might  be  put  forward  as 
some  excuse  for  such  a  late  visit,  he  continued :  '  I  be 
lieve  he  is  a  kind  of  foreigner,  sir.  Leastways,  he's 
very  dark,  and  don't  speak  the  same,  quite,  as  an  Eng 
lishman  might  do.' 

"  I  considered  for  a  moment.  I  knew  of  no  person 
named  Silver  who  could  have  any  possible  reason  for 
desiring  to  see  me  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening. 

" '  Go  down  and  inquire  his  business,'  I  said,  at 
length.  '  Tell  him  I  am  engaged  to-night;  but  if  he 
can  make  it  convenient  to  call  in  the  morning,  I  will 
see  him/ 


4  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN". 

"  The  man  departed  on  his  errand,  and  by  the  time 
he  returned  I  had  reached  my  dressing-room  once 
more. 

" '  He  is  very  sorry,  sir,'  he  began,  as  soon  as  he 
had  closed  the  door,  '  but  he  says  he  must  get  back  to 
Bampton  in  time  to  catch  the  8.15  express  to  London. 
He  wouldn't  tell  me  his  business,  but  asked  me  to  say 
that  it  is  most  important,  and  he  would  be  deeply 
grateful  if  you  could  grant  him  an  interview  this  even 
ing.' 

" '  In  that  case,'  I  said,  '  I  suppose  I  must  see  him. 
Did  he  tell  you  no  more?  ' 

"  '  No,  sir.  Leastways,  that  wasn't  exactly  the  way 
he  put  it.  He  said,  sir,  "  If  the  gentleman  won't  see 
me  otherwise,  tell  him  I  come  to  him  from  Mr.  Cyril 
Forrester.  Then  I  think  he  will  change  his  mind." : 

"  As  the  man,  whoever  he  was,  had  predicted,  this 
did  make  me  change  my  mind.  I  immediately  bade 
Jenkins  return  and  inform  him  that  I  would  be  with 
him  in  a  few  moments.  Accordingly,  as  soon  as  I 
had  dressed,  I  left  my  room  and  descended  to  the 
study.  The  fire  was  burning  brightly,  and  a  reading- 
lamp  stood  upon  the  writing-table.  The  remainder  of 
the  room,  however,  was  in  shadow,  but  not  sufficiently 
so  to  prevent  my  distinguishing  a  dark  figure  seated 
between  the  two  bookcases.  He  rose  as  I  entered,  and 
bowed  before  me  with  a  servility  that,  thank  God!  is 
scarcely  English.  When  he  spoke,  though  what  he 
said  was  grammatically  correct,  his  accent  revealed  the 
fact  that  he  was  not  a  native  of  our  Isles. 

" '  Sir  William  Betford,  I  believe/  he  began,  as  I 
entered  the  room. 

" '  That  is  my  name,'  I  answered,  at  the  same  time 
turning  up  the  lamp  and  lighting  the  candles  upon  the 
mantelpiece  in  order  that  I  might  see  him  better.  ( My 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  5 

man  tells  me  you  desire  an  interview  with  me.  He  also 
mentioned  that  you  have  come  from  my  old  friend, 
Mr.  Cyril  Forrester,  the  artist,  who  is  now  abroad.  Is 
this  true? ' 

"  (  Quite  true/  he  replied.  '  I  do  come  from  Mr. 
Forrester.' 

"  The  candles  were  burning  brightly  by  this  time, 
and,  as  a  result,  I  was  able  to  see  him  more  distinctly. 
He  was  of  medium  height,  very  thin,  and  wore  a  long 
overcoat  of  some  dark  material.  His  face  was  distinctly 
Asiatic  in  type,  though  the  exact  nationality  I  could  not 
determine.  Possibly  he  might  have  hailed  from  Siam. 

"  '  Having  come  from  Mr.  Forrester,'  I  said,  when 
I  had  seated  myself,  '  you  will  be  able  to  tell  me  his 
address.  I  have  neither  seen  nor  heard  of  or  from  him 
for  more  than  a  year  past.' 

" '  I  regret  exceedingly  that  it  is  impossible  for  me 
to  give  you  the  information  you  seek/  the  man  re 
plied,  civilly  but  firmly.  '  My  instructions  were  most 
explicit  upon  that  point.' 

"  '  You  come  to  me  from  him,  and  yet  you  are  in 
structed  not  to  tell  me  his  address?  '  I  said,  with  natural 
surprise.  '  That  is  rather  extraordinary,  is  it  not?  Ee- 
member,  I  am  one  of  his  oldest,  and  certainly  one  of 
his  firmest,  friends.' 

" '  Nevertheless,  I  was  instructed  on  no  account  to 
reveal  his  present  residence  to  you,'  the  man  replied. 

"'What,  then,  can  your  business  be  with  me?'  I 
asked,  more  nettled  at  his  words  than  I  cared  to  show. 

" '  I  have  brought  you  a  packet,'  he  said,  '  which 
Mr.  Forrester  was  most  anxious  I  should  personally  de 
liver  to  your  hands.  There  is  a  letter  inside  which  he 
said  would  explain  everything.  I  was  also  instructed  to 
obtain  from  you  a  receipt,  which  I  am  to  convey  to 
him  again.' 


6  PHAEOS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

"  So  saying,  he  dived  his  hand  into  the  pocket  of  his 
greatcoat,  and  brought  thence  a  roll,  which  he  placed 
with  some  solemnity  upon  the  table. 

"  '  There  is  the  packet,'  he  said.  '  Now  if  you  will 
be  kind  enough  to  give  me  a  note  stating  that  you 
have  received  it,  I  will  take  my  departure.  It  is  most 
necessary  that  I  should  catch  the  express  to  London, 
and  if  I  desire  to  do  so,  I  have  a  sharp  walk  in  front 
of  me.' 

" ( You  shall  have  the  receipt,'  I  answered;  and, 
taking  a  sheet  of  note-paper  from  a  drawer,  I  wrote  the 
following  letter: — 

'"THE  GRANGE,  BAMPTON  ST.  MARY, 
" '  December  14,  18 — . 

" '  DEAR  FORRESTER:  This  evening  I  have  been 
surprised  by  a  visit  from  a  man  named— 

"  Here  I  paused  and  inquired  the  messenger's 
name,  which  I  had,  for  the  moment,  forgotten. 

"  '  Honore  de  Silva,'  he  replied. 

"  * from  a  man  named  Honore  de  Silva,  who 

has  handed  me  a  packet  for  which  he  desires  this  letter 
shall  be  a  receipt.  I  have  endeavoured  to  elicit  your 
address  from  him,  but  on  this  point  he  is  adamant.  Is 
it  kind  to  an  old  friend  to  let  him  hear  from  you,  but  at 
the  same  time  to  refuse  to  permit  him  to  communicate 
with  you?  Why  all  this  mystery?  If  you  are  in 
trouble,  who  would  so  gladly  share  it  with  you  as  your 
old  friend?  If  you  need  help,  who  would  so  willingly 
give  it?  Are  the  years  during  which  we  have  known 
each  other  to  count  for  nothing?  Trust  me,  and  I 
think  you  are  aware  that  I  will  not  abuse  your  con 
fidence.  Your  affectionate  friend, 

" '  WILLIAM  BETFORD.' 

"  Having  blotted  it,  I  placed  the  letter  in  an  en- 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  7 

velope,  directed  it  to  Cyril  Forrester,  Esq.,  and  handed 
it  to  De  Silva,  who  placed  it  carefully  in  an  inner 
pocket  and  rose  to  take  leave  of  me. 

" '  Will  nothing  induce  you  to  reveal  your  em 
ployer's  present  place  of  residence?'  I  said.  *I  assure 
you  I  am  most  anxious  to  prove  his  friend.' 

"  *  I  can  easily  believe  that,'  he  answered.  '  He 
has  often  spoken  of  you  in  terms  of  the  warmest  affec 
tion.  If  you  could  hear  him,  I  am  sure  you  would  have 
no  doubt  on  that  score.' 

"  I  was  much  affected,  as  you  may  imagine,  on  hear 
ing  this,  and  his  assertion  emboldened  me  to  risk  yet 
another  question. 

" '  Upon  one  point,  at  least,  you  can  set  my  mind 
at  rest,'  I  said.  '  Is  Mr.  Forrester  happy?  ' 

" '  He  is  a  man  who  has  done  with  happiness  such 
as  you  mean,  and  will  never  know  it  again,'  he  an 
swered  solemnly. 

" '  My  poor  old  friend,'  I  said,  half  to  myself  and 
half  to  him.  And  then  added,  '  Is  there  no  way  in 
which  I  can  help  him? ' 

"  '  None,'  De  Silva  replied.  '  But  I  can  tell  you  no 
more,  so  I  beg  you  will  not  ask  me.' 

" '  But  you  can  surely  answer  one  other  question/ 
I  continued,  this  time  with  what  was  almost  a  note  of 
supplication  in  my  voice.  '  You  can  tell  me  whether, 
in  your  opinion,  we,  his  friends,  will  see  him  again, 
or  if  he  intends  to  spend  the  remainder  of  his  life  in 
exile? ' 

"  '  That  I  can  safely  answer.  No!  You  will  never 
see  him  again.  He  will  not  return  to  this  country,  or  to 
the  people  who  have  known  him  here.' 

" '  Then  may  God  help  him  and  console  him,  for 
his  trouble  must  be  bitter  indeed! ' 

"  *  It  is  well-nigh  insupportable/  said  De  Silva,  with 


8  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

the  same  solemnity;  and  then,  picking  up  his  hat, 
bowed,  and  moved  toward  the  door. 

"  '  I  must  risk  one  last  question.  Tell  me  if  he  will 
communicate  with  me  again  ?  ' 

"  '  Never,'  the  other  replied.  '  He  bade  me  tell  you, 
should  you  ask,  that  you  must  henceforth  consider  him 
as  one  who  is  dead.  You  must  not  attempt  to  seek  for 
him,  but  consign  him  to  that  oblivion  in  which  only 
he  can  be  at  peace.' 

"  Before  I  could  say  more  he  had  opened  the  door 
and  passed  into  the  hall.  A  moment  later  I  heard  the 
front  door  close  behind  him,  a  step  sounded  on  the 
gravel  before  my  window,  and  I  was  left  standing  upon 
the  hearthrug,  staring  at  the  packet  upon  the  table. 
Then  the  gong  sounded,  and  I  thrust  the  roll  into  a 
drawer.  Having  securely  locked  the  latter,  I  hastened 
to  the  drawing-room  to  meet  my  guests. 

"  Needless  to  say,  my  demeanour  during  dinner 
was  not  marked  with  any  great  degree  of  gaiety.  The 
interview  with  De  Silva  had  upset  me  completely;  and 
though  I  endeavoured  to  play  the  part  of  an  attentive 
host,  my  attempt  was  far  from  being  successful.  I 
found  my  thoughts  continually  reverting  to  that  curi 
ous  interview  in  the  study,  and  to  the  packet  which  had 
come  into  my  possession  in  such  a  mysterious  manner, 
the  secret  contained  in  which  I  had  still  to  learn. 

"  After  dinner  we  adjourned  to  the  billiard-room, 
where  we  spent  the  evening;  consequently  it  was  not 
until  my  guests  bade  me  '  Good  night/  and  retired  to 
their  various  rooms,  by  which  time  it  was  well  after 
eleven  o'clock,  that  I  found  myself  at  liberty  to  return 
to  the  study. 

"  Once  there,  I  made  up  the  fire,  wheeled  an  easy- 
chair  to  a  position  before  it,  arranged  the  reading-lamp 
so  that  the  light  should  fall  upon  the  paper  over  my 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  9 

left  shoulder,  and  having  made  these  preparations,  un 
locked  the  drawer  and  took  out  the  packet  De  Silva  had 
handed  to  me. 

"  It  was  with  a  mixture  of  pain,  a  small  measure 
of  curiosity,  but  more  apprehension  as  to  what  I  should 
find  within,  that  I  cut  the  string  and  broke  the  seals. 
Inside  I  discovered  a  note  and  a  roll  of  manuscript  in 
that  fine  and  delicate  handwriting  we  used  to  know 
so  well.  After  a  hasty  glance  at  it,  I  put  the  latter 
aside,  and  opened  the  envelope.  The  note  I  found 
within  was  addressed  to  you,  Trevelyan,  as  well  as  to 
myself,  and  read  as  follows: — 

"'MY  DEAR  OLD  FRIENDS:  In  company  with 
many  other  people,  you  must  have  wondered  what  the 
circumstances  could  have  been  that  induced  me  to 
leave  England  so  suddenly,  to  forfeit  the  success  I  had 
won  for  myself  after  so  much  up-hill  work,  and,  above 
all,  to  bid  farewell  to  a  life  and  an  art  I  loved  so  devot 
edly,  and  from  which,  I  think  I  may  be  excused  for 
saying,  I  had  such  brilliant  expectations.  I  send  you 
herewith,  Betford,  by  a  bearer  I  can  trust,  an  answer 
to  that  question.  I  want  you  to  read  it,  and,  having 
done  so,  to  forward  it  to  George  Trevelyan,  with  the 
request  that  he  will  do  the  same.  When  you  have  mas 
tered  the  contents,  you  must  unitedly  arrange  with 
some  publishing  house  to  put  it  before  the  world, 
omitting  nothing,  and  in  no  way  attempting  to  offer 
any  extenuation  for  my  conduct.  We  were  three  good 
friends  once,  in  an  age  as  dead  to  me  now  as  the  Neo 
lithic.  For  the  sake  of  that  friendship,  therefore,  I 
implore  this  favour  at  your  hands.  As  you  hope  for 
mercy  on  that  Last  Great  Day  when  the  sins  of  all  men 
shall  be  judged,  do  as  I  entreat  you  now.  How  heavily 
I  have  sinned  against  my  fellow-men — in  ignorance,  it 


10  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

is  true — you  will  know  when  you  have  read  what  I 
have  written.  This  much  is  certain — the  effect  of  it 
weighs  upon  my  soul  like  lead.  If  you  have  any  desire 
to  make  that  load  lighter,  carry  out  the  wish  I  now 
express  to  you.  Eemember  me  also  in  your  prayers, 
praying  not  as  for  a  man  still  living,  but  as  you  would 
for  one  long  since  dead.  That  God  may  bless  and  keep 
you  both  will  ever  be  the  wish  of  your  unhappy  friend, 

"  '  CYRIL  FORRESTER. 

"  '  P.  S. — Matthew  Simpford,  in  the  Strand,  is 
keeping  two  pictures  for  me.  They  were  once  consid 
ered  among  my  best  work.  I  ask  you  each  to  accept 
one,  and  when  you  look  at  them  try  to  think  as  kindly 
as  possible  of  the  friend  who  is  gone  from  you  forever.' 

"  So  much  for  the  letter.  It  is  possible  there  may 
be  people  who  will  smile  sarcastically  when  they  read 
that,  as  I  finished  it,  tears  stood  in  my  eyes,  so  that  I 
could  scarcely  see  the  characters  upon  the  paper. 

"  You,  Trevelyan,  I  know,  will  understand  my  emo 
tion  better.  And  why  should  I  not  have  been  affected? 
Forrester  and  I  had  been  good  friends  in  the  old  days, 
and  it  was  only  fit  and  proper  I.  should  mourn  his  loss. 
Handsome,  generous,  clever,  who  could  help  loving 
him?  I  could  not,  that's  certain. 

"  The  letter  finished,  I  replaced  it  in  its  envelope 
and  turned  my  attention  to  the  manuscript.  When  I 
began  to  read,  the  hands  of  the  clock  upon  the  chim 
ney-piece  stood  at  twenty  minutes  to  twelve,  and  they 
had  reached  a  quarter  past  five  before  I  had  completed 
my  task.  All  that  time  I  read  on  without  stopping, 
filled  with  amazement  at  the  story  my  poor  friend  had 
to  tell,  and  consumed  with  a  great  sorrow  that  his  bril 
liant  career  should  have  terminated  in  such  an  un 
toward  manner. 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  H 

"  Now,  having  completed  my  share  of  the  task,  as 
required  of  me  in  the  letter,  I  send  the  manuscript  by 
special  messenger  to  you.  Eead  it  as  he  desires,  and 
when  you  have  done  so  let  me  have  your  opinion  upon 
it.  Then  I  will  come  up  to  town,  and  we  will  arrange 
to  carry  out  the  last  portion  of  our  poor  friend's  request 
together.  In  the  meantime, 

"  Believe  me  ever  your  friend, 

"  WILLIAM  BETFORD." 

Six  months  later. 

Trevelyan  and  I  have  completed  the  task  allotted^ 
to  us.  We  have  read  Forrester's  manuscript,  and  we 
have  also  discovered  a  publisher  who  will  place  it  be 
fore  the  world.  What  the  result  is  to  be  it  remains  for 
time  to  decide. 


CHAPTEE  I. 

IF  ever  a  man  in  this  world  had  a  terrible — I  might 
almost  go  so  far  as  to  add  a  shameful — story  to  relate, 
surely  I,  Cyril  Forrester,  am  the  one.  How  strange — 
indeed,  how  most  unbelievable — it  is  I  do  not  think  I 
even  realised  myself  until  I  sat  down  to  write  it.  The 
^question  the  world  will  in  all  probability  ask  when  it 
has  read  it  is,  why  it  should  have  been  told  at  all.  It 
is  possible  it  may  be  of  opinion  that  I  should  have 
served  my  generation  just  as  well  had  I  allowed  it  to 
remain  locked  up  in  my  own  bosom  for  all  time.  This, 
however,  my  conscience  would  not  permit.  There  are 
numberless  reasons,  all  of  them  important  and  some  im 
perative  beyond  all  telling,  why  I  should  make  my  con 
fession,  though  God  knows  I  am  coward  enough  to 
shrink  from  the  task.  And  if  you  consider  for  a  mo 
ment,  I  think  you  will  understand  why.  In  the  first 
place,  the  telling  of  the  story  can  only  have  the  effect 
of  depriving  me  of  the  affection  of  those  I  love,  the 
respect  of  those  whose  good  opinion  I  have  hitherto 
prized  so  highly,  the  sympathy  of  my  most  faithful 
friends,  and,  what  is  an  equal  sacrifice  as  far  as  I  am 
personally  concerned — though  it  is,  perhaps,  of  less 
importance  to  others — the  fame  I  have  won  for  myself 
after  so  hard  a  struggle.  All  this  is  swept  away  like 
drift-wood  before  a  rising  tide,  and  as  a  result  I  retire 
into  voluntary  exile,  a  man  burdened  with  a  life-long 
sorrow.  How  I  have  suffered,  both  in  body  and  mind, 
none  will  ever  understand.  That  I  have  been  punished 
12 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  13 

is  also  certain,  how  heavily  you,  my  two  old  friends, 
will  be  able  to  guess  when  you  have  read  my  story. 
With  the  writing  of  it  I  have  severed  the  last  link  that 
binds  me  to  the  civilized  world.  Henceforth  I  shall  be 
a  wanderer  and  an  outcast,  and  but  for  one  reason  could 
wish  myself  dead.  But  that  is  enough  of  regret;  let 
me  commence  my  story. 

Two  years  ago,  as  you  both  have  terrible  reason  to 
remember,  there  occurred  in  Europe  what  may,  per 
haps,  be  justly  termed  the  most  calamitous  period  in  its 
history,  a  time  so  heart-breaking,  that  scarcely  a  man 
or  woman  can  look  back  upon  it  without  experiencing 
the  keenest  sorrow.  Needless  to  say  I  refer  to  the  out 
break  of  the  plague  among  us,  that  terrible  pestilence 
which  swept  Europe  from  end  to  end,  depopulated  its 
greatest  cities,  filled  every  burial-place  to  overflowing, 
and  caused  such  misery  and  desolation  in  all  ranks  of 
life  as  has  never  before  been  known  among  us.  Few 
homes  were  there,  even  in  this  fair  England  of  ours, 
but  suffered  some  bereavement;  few  families  but  mourn 
a  loss  the  wound  of  which  has  even  now  barely  healed. 
And  it  is  rny  part  in  this  dreadful  business  that  I  have 
forced  myself  with  so  much  bitter  humiliation  to  re 
late.  Let  me  begin  at  the  very  beginning,  tell  every 
thing  plainly  and  straightforwardly,  offer  nothing  in 
extenuation  of  my  conduct,  and  trust  only  to  the  world 
to  judge  me,  if  such  a  thing  be  possible,  with  an  un 
biassed  mind. 

I  date  my  misery  from  a  wet,  miserable  night  in  the 
last  week  of  March — a  night  without  a  glimpse  of  the 
moon,  which,  on  that  particular  evening,  was  almost 
at  its  full.  There  had  been  but  one  solitary  hour  of 
painting-light  all  day;  short  as  it  was,  however,  it  was 
sufficient  for  my  purpose.  My  picture  for  the  Academy 
was  finished,  and  now  all  that  remained  was  to  pack  it 
2 


14  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

up  and  send  it  in.  It  was,  as  you  remember,  my  eighth, 
and  in  every  way  my  most  successful  effort.  The  sub 
ject  I  had  chosen  had  enthralled  me  from  the  moment 
it  had  first  entered  my  head,  and  the  hours  of  thought 
and  preparation  it  had  entailed  will  always  rank  among 
the  happiest  of  my  life.  It  represented  Merenptah, 
the  Pharaoh  of  the  Exodus,  learning  from  the  magi 
cians  the  effect  of  his  obstinacy  in  the  death  of  his 
firstborn  son.  The  canvas  showed  him  seated  on  his 
throne,  clad  in  his  robes  of  state.  His  head  was  pushed 
a  little  forward,  his  chin  rested  in  his  hand,  while  his 
eyes  looked  straight  before  him  as  though  he  were  en 
deavouring  to  peer  into  the  future  in  the  hope  of  read 
ing  there  the  answer  to  the  troubled  thoughts  inside  his 
brain.  Behind  him  stood  the  sorcerers,  one  of  whom 
had  found  courage  to  announce  the  baneful  tidings. 

The  land  of  Egypt  has  always  possessed  a  singular 
attraction  for  me — a  taste  which,  doubtless,  I  inherit 
from  my  poor  father,  who,  as  you  are  aware,  was  one 
of  the  greatest  authorities  upon  the  subject  the  world 
has  ever  known. 

As  I  have  said,  it  was  a  miserable  night,  dark  as 
the  pit  of  Tophet.  A  biting  wind  whistled  through  the 
streets,  the  pavements  were  dotted  with  umbrella-laden 
figures,  the  kennels  ran  like  mill-sluices,  while  the 
roads  were  only  a  succession  of  lamp-lit  puddles 
through  which  the  wheeled  traffic  splashed  continu 
ously.  For  some  reason — perhaps  because  the  work 
upon  which  I  had  been  so  long  and  happily  engaged 
was  finished  and  I  felt  lonely  without  it  to  occupy  my 
mind — I  was  stricken  with  a  fit  of  the  blues.  Con 
vinced  that  my  own  company  would  not  take  me  out 
of  it,  I  left  my  studio  in  search  of  more  congenial  soci 
ety.  This  was  soon  forthcoming;  and  you  will  remem 
ber,  Betford  and  Trevelyan,  that  we  dined  together  at 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  15 

a  little  restaurant  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Leicester 
Square,  and  followed  the  dinner  up  with  a  visit  to  a 
theatre.  As  ill-luck  would  have  it,  I  was  in  the  minor 
ity  in  the  choice  of  a  place  of  entertainment.  The  re 
sult  was  disastrous.  Instead  of  ridding  myself  of  my 
melancholy,  as  I  had  hoped  to  do,  I  intensified  it,  and 
when,  at  the  end  of  the  evening,  I  bade  you  farewell 
in  the  Strand,  my  spirits  had  reached  a  lower  level  than 
they  had  attained  all  day.  I  remember  distinctly  stand 
ing  beneath  a  gas-lamp  at  the  corner  of  Villiers  Street, 
as  the  clocks  were  striking  midnight,  feeling  disinclined 
to  return  to  my  abode  and  go  to  bed,  and  yet  equally 
at  a  loss  to  know  in  what  manner  I  should  employ 
myself  until  there  was  some  likelihood  of  slumber 
visiting  my  eyelids.  To  help  me  make  up  my  mind  I 
lit  a  fresh  cigar  and  strolled  down  toward  the  river. 
On  the  pavement,  at  the  foot  of  the  steps  leading  to 
Hungerford  Bridge,  a  poor  tattered  creature,  yet  still 
possessing  some  pretensions  to  gentlemanly  address, 
came  from  beneath  the  archway  and  begged  of  me, 
assuring  me  most  solemnly  that,  as  far  as  he  was  con 
cerned,  the  game  was  played  out,  and  if  I  did  not  com 
ply  with  his  request,  he  would  forthwith  end  his 
troubles  in  the  river.  I  gave  him  something — I  can 
not  now  remember  what — and  then,  crossing  the  road, 
made  my  way  along  the  Embankment  toward  Cleo 
patra's  Needle.  The  rain  had  ceased  for  the  moment, 
and  in  the  north  a  few  stars  were  shining.  The  myriad 
lights  of  the  Embankment  were  reflected  in  the  river 
like  lines  of  dancing  fire,  and  I  remember  that  behind 
me  a  train  was  rolling  across  the  bridge  from  Charing 
Cross  with  a  noise  like  distant  thunder.  I  suppose  I 
must  have  been  thinking  of  my  picture,  and  of  the  land 
and  period  which  had  given  me  the  idea.  At  any  rate, 
I  know  that  on  this  occasion  the  ancient  monument  in 


16  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

front  of  which  I  soon  found  myself  affected  me  as  it 
had  never  done  before.  I  thought  of  the  centuries  that 
had  passed  since  those  hieroglyphics  were  carved  upon 
the  stone,  of  the  changes  the  world  had  seen  since  that 
giant  monolith  first  saw  the  light  of  day.  Leaning  my 
elbows  on  the  parapet,  I  was  so  absorbed  in  my  own 
thoughts  that  when  a  sudden  cry  of  "Help,  help!" 
rang  out  from  the  river  it  was  with  a  sensible  shock  that 
I  returned  to  the  commonplace  and  found  myself  stand 
ing  where  I  was.  A  moment  later  I  was  all  action. 
The  cry  had  come  from  the  other  side  of  the  Needle. 
I  accordingly  hastened  to  the  steps  farthest  from  me, 
shouting,  as  I  went,  in  my  excitement,  that  a  man  was 
drowning.  It  might  have  all  been  part  of  some  evil 
dream — the  long  line  of  silent  Embankment  on  either 
side,  the  swiftly-flowing  river,  and  that  despairing  ap 
peal  for  help  coming  so  suddenly  out  of  the  black  dark- 
nesss.  Then  I  became  aware  that  I  was  not  alone  on 
the  steps.  There  was  another  man  there,  and  he  stood 
motionless,  peering  out  into  the  dark  stream,  scarcely  a 
dozen  paces  from  me. 

I  had  reached  the  top  of  the  steps  and  was  about 
to  descend  them  in  order  to  accost  him,  Avhen  some 
thing  occurred  which  stopped  me  and  held  me  spell 
bound.  The  moon  had  emerged  from  its  pall  of  cloud 
and  was  now  shining  clear  and  bright  across  the  river. 
Thirty  seconds  must  have  elapsed  since  we  had  heard 
the  cry  for  assistance,  and  now,  as  I  looked,  the  drown 
ing  man  was  washed  in  at  the  foot  of  the  steps  upon 
which  we  stood.  It  would  have  needed  but  the  least 
movement  on  the  part  of  the  man  below  me  to  have 
caught  him  as  he  swept  by  and  to  have  saved  him  from 
a  watery  death.  To  my  amazement,  however — and 
even  now,  after  this  lapse  of  time,  my  gorge  rises  at  the 
very  thought  of  it— the  other  did  not  offer  to  help,  but 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  17 

drew  himself  back.  Before  I  could  return  my  eyes, 
the  wretched  suicide  had  passed  out  of  sight  and  had 
vanished  into  the  darkness  again.  As  he  did  so  a  pro 
nounced  chuckle  of  enjoyment  reached  me  from  the 
man  below — a  burst  of  merriment  so  out  of  place  and 
so  detestable  that  I  could  scarcely  believe  I  heard 
aright.  I  can  not  hope  to  make  you  understand  how 
it  affected  me.  A  second  later  a  fit  of  blind  fury  over 
took  me,  and,  under  the  influence  of  it,  I  ran  down 
the  steps  and  seized  the  murderer — for  such  I  shall 
always  consider  him — by  the  arm. 

"  Are  you  a  man  or  a  fiend,"  I  cried  in  jerks,  "  that 
you  could  so  allow  another  to  perish  when  you  might 
have  saved  him?  His  death  is  upon  your  conscience, 
brute  and  monster  that  you  are! " 

So  extreme  was  my  emotion  that  I  trembled  under 
it  like  a  man  with  the  palsy. 

Then  the  other  turned  his  head  and  looked  at  me; 
and,  as  he  did  so,  a  great  shudder,  accompanied  by  an 
indescribable  feeling  of  nausea,  passed  over  me.  What 
occasioned  it  I  could  not  tell,  nor  could  I  remember 
having  felt  anything  of  the  kind  before.  When  it  de 
parted,  my  eyes  fixed  themselves  on  the  individual  be 
fore  me.  Connecting  him  in  some  way  with  the  unen 
viable  sensation  I  had  just  experienced,  1  endeavoured 
to  withdraw  them  again,  but  in  vain.  The  other's  gaze 
was  riveted  upon  me — so  firmly,  indeed,  that  it  required 
but  small  imagination  to  believe  it  eating  into  my 
brain.  Good  Heavens!  how  well  I  recollect  that  night 
and  every  incident  connected  with  it!  I  believe  I  shall 
remember  it  through  all  eternity.  If  only  I  had  known 
enough  to  have  taken  him  by  the  throat  then  and  there, 
and  had  dashed  his  brains  out  on  the  stones,  or  to  have 
seized  him  in  my  arms  and  hurled  him  down  the  steps 
into  the  river  below,  how  much  happier  I  should  have 


18  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

been!  1  might  have  earned  eternal  punishment,  it  is 
true,  but  I  should  at  least  have  saved  myself  and  the 
world  in  general  from  such  misery  as  the  human  brain 
can  scarcely  realise.  But  I  did  not  know,  the  oppor 
tunity  was  lost,  and,  in  that  brief  instant  of  time,  mil 
lions  of  my  fellow-creatures  were  consigned  unwit 
tingly  to  their  doom. 

After  long  association  with  an  individual,  it  is  diffi 
cult,  if  not  impossible,  to  set  down  with  any  degree  of 
exactness  a  description  of  the  effect  his  personality 
in  the  first  instance  had  upon  me.  In  this  case  I  find  it 
more  than  usually  difficult,  for  the  reason  that,  as  I 
came  more  under  his  influence,  the  original  effect  wore 
off  and  quite  another  was  substituted  for  it. 

His  height  was  considerably  below  the  average,  his 
skull  was  as  small  as  his  shoulders  were  broad.  But  it 
was  not  of  his  stature,  his  shoulders,  or  the  size  of  the 
head  which  caused  the  curious  effect  I  have  elsewhere 
described.  It  was  his  eyes,  the  shape  of  his  face,  the 
multitudinous  wrinkles  that  lined  it,  and,  above  all,  the 
extraordinary  colour  of  his  skin,  that  rendered  his  ap 
pearance  so  repulsive.  To  understand  what  1  mean 
you  must  think  first  of  old  ivory,  and  then  endeavour 
to  realise  what  the  complexion  of  a  corpse  would  be 
like  after  lying  in  an  hermetically  sealed  tomb  for 
many  years.  Blend  the  two  and  you  will  have  some 
dim  notion  of  the  idea  I  am  trying  to  convey.  His 
eyes  were  small,  deeply  sunken,  and  in  repose  appar 
ently  devoid  of  light  and  even  of  life.  He  wore  a  heavy 
fur  coat,  and,  for  the  reason  that  he  disdained  the  cus 
tomary  headgear  of  polite  society,  and  had  substituted 
for  it  a  curious  description  of  cap,  I  argued  that  he  was 
a  man  who  boasted  a  will  of  his  own,  and  who  did  not 
permit  himself  to  be  bound  by  arbitrary  rules.  But, 
however  plain  these  things  may  have  been,  his  age  was 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  19 

a  good  deal  more  difficult  to  determine.  It  was  cer 
tainly  not  less  than  seventy,  and  one  might  have  been 
excused  had  one  even  set  it  down  at  a  hundred.  He 
walked  feebly,  supporting  himself  with  a  stick,  upon 
which  his  thin  yellow  fist  was  clutched  till  the  knuckles 
stood  out  and  shone  like  billiard  balls  in  the  moon 
light. 

Under  the  influence  of  his  mysterious  personality, 
I  stood  speechless  for  some  moments,  forgetful  of 
everything — the  hour,  the  place,  and  even  his  inhu 
manity  to  the  drowning  wretch  in  the  river  below.  By 
the  time  I  recovered  myself  he  was  gone,  and  I  could 
see  him  crossing  the  road  and  moving  swiftly  away  in 
the  direction  of  Charing  Cross.  Drawing  my  hand 
across  my  forehead,  which  was  clammy  with  the  sweat 
of  real  fear,  I  looked  again  at  the  river.  A  police  boat 
was  pulling  toward  the  steps,  and  by  the  light  of  the 
lantern  on  board  I  could  make  out  the  body  of  a  man. 
My  nerves,  already  strained  to  breaking  pitch,  were 
not  capable  of  standing  any  further  shock.  I  accord 
ingly  turned  upon  my  heel  and  hurried  from  the  place 
with  all  the  speed  at  my  command. 

Such  was  my  first  meeting  with  the  man  whom  I 
afterward  came  to  know  as  Pharos  the  Egyptian. 


CHAPTER    II. 

As  you  are  aware,  my  picture  that  year  was  hung 
in  an  excellent  position,  was  favourably  received  by 
those  for  whose  criticism  I  had  any  sort  of  respect,  at 
tracted  its  fair  share  of  attention  from  the  general 
public,  and,  as  a  result,  brought  me  as  near  content 
ment  as  a  man  can  well  hope  or  expect  to  be  in  this 
world.  Before  it  had  been  twenty-four  hours  "  on  the 
line,"  I  had  received  several  tempting  offers  for  it;  but 
as  I  had  set  my  heart  on  obtaining  a  certain  sum,  and 
was  determined  not  to  accept  less,  you  may  suppose  I 
did  not  give  them  much  attention.  If  I  received  what 
I  wanted,  I  promised  myself  a  treat  I  had  been  looking 
forward  to  all  my  life.  In  that  case  I  would  take  a  long 
holiday,  and,  instead  of  spending  the  next  winter  in 
England,  would  start  for  Egypt  in  the  autumn,  taking 
in  Italy  en  route,  make  my  way  up  the  Nile,  and  be 
home  again,  all  being  well,  in  the  spring,  or,  at  latest, 
during  the  early  days  of  summer. 

Ever  since  I  first  became  an  exhibitor  at  Burlington 
House,  I  have  made  it  a  rule  to  studiously  avoid  visiting 
the  gallery  after  varnishing  day.  My  reasons  would 
interest  no  one,  but  they  were  sufficiently  strong  to 
induce  me  to  adhere  to  them.  This  year,  however,  I 
was  led  into  doing  so  in  a  quite  unintentional  fashion, 
and  as  that  exception  vitally  concerns  this  narrative, 
I  must  narrate  in  detail  the  circumstances  that  led  up 
to  it. 

20 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  21 

On  a  certain  Friday  early  in  June,  I  was  sitting 
in  my  studio,  after  lunch,  wondering  what  I  should  do 
with  myself  during  the  afternoon,  when  a  knock 
sounded  at  the  door,  and  a  moment  later,  after  I  had 
invited  whoever  stood  outside  to  enter,  my  old  friend, 
George  Merridew,  his  wife,  son,  and  three  daughters, 
trooped  into  the  room.  They  were  plainly  up  from  the 
country,  and,  as  usual,  were  doing  the  sights  at  express 
speed.  George  Merridew,  as  you  know,  stands  six  feet 
in  his  stockings,  and  is  broad  in  proportion.  His  face 
is  red,  his  eyes  blue,  and  he  carries  with  him  wherever 
he  goes  the  air  of  a  prosperous  country  squire,  which  he 
certainly  is.  Like  many  other  big  men,  he  is  uncon 
scious  of  his  strength,  and  when  he  shakes  hands  with 
you,  you  have  reason  to  remember  the  fact  for  five  min 
utes  afterward.  His  wife  is  small,  and,  as  some  folks 
declare,  looks  younger  than  her  eldest  daughter,  who 
is  a  tennis  champion,  a  golfer,  and  boasts  a  supreme 
contempt  for  Royal  Academicians  and,  for  that  matter, 
for  artists  generally.  The  son  is  at  Oxford,  a  nice 
enough  young  fellow  with  limpid  blue  eyes,  who,  to  his 
father's  disgust,  takes  no  sort  of  interest  in  fox-hunting, 
racing,  football,  or  any  other  sport,  and  has  openly 
asserted  his  intention  of  entering  the  Church  in  the 
near  future.  There  are  two  other  girls,  Gwendoline  and 
Ethel — the  latter,  by  the  way,  promises  to  be  a  second 
edition  of  her  mother — who,  at  present,  are'  in  the  ad 
vanced  schoolroom  stage,  dine  with  their  parents,  ex 
cept  on  state  occasions,  and  play  duets  together  on  the 
piano  with  a  conscientious  regard  for  time  and  finger 
ing  that  gives  their  father  no  small  amount  of  pleasure, 
but  with  other  people  rather  detracts  from  the  beauty 
of  the  performance. 

"  Thank  goodness  we  have  got  you  at  last! "  cried 
Merridew,  as  he  rushed  forward  and  gripped  my  hand 


22  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

with  a  cordiality  that  made  me  suffer  in  silent  agony 
for  minutes  afterward.  "  But,  my  dear  fellow,  what 
on  earth  induces  you  to  live  in  a  place  that's  so  dif 
ficult  to  find?  We  have  been  all  round  the  neigh 
bourhood,  here,  there,  and  everywhere,  making  in 
quiries,  and  shouldn't  have  found  you  now  had  it  not 
been  for  an  intelligent  butcher-boy,  who  put  us  on  the 
right  scent  and  enabled  us  to  run  you  to  earth  at  last." 

"  Such  is  fame,  you  see,"  I  answered  with  a  smile. 
"  One  should  be  humble  when  one  reflects  that  the 
knowledge  of  one's  address  is  confined  to  a  butcher- 
boy. — How  do  you  do,  Mrs,  Merridew  ?  I  am  sorry  you 
should  have  had  so  much  difficulty  in  discovering  my 
poor  abode." 

I  shook  hands  with  the  rest  of  the  family,  and  when 
I  had  done  so,  waited  to  be  informed  as  to  the  reason  of 
their  visit. 

"  Now,  look  here,"  said  the  squire,  as  he  spoke 
producing  an  enormous  gold  repeater  from  his  pocket, 
which  by  sheer  force  of  habit  he  held  in  his  hand, 
though  he  never  once  looked  at  it,  during  the  time  he 
was  speaking.  "  I'll  tell  you  what  we're  going  to  do. 
In  the  first  place  you're  to  take  us  to  the  Academy  to 
see  your  picture,  which  every  one  is  talking  about,  and 
at  the  same  time  to  act  as  showman  and  tell  us  who's 
who.  After  that  you'll  dine  with  us  at  the  Langham, 
and  go  to  the  theatre  afterward.  No,  no,  it's  not  a  bit 
of  use  you're  pretending  you've  got  another  engage 
ment.  We  don't  come  up  to  town  very  often,  but  when 
we  do  we  enjoy  ourselves,  and — why,  man  alive!  just 
consider — I  haven't  seen  you  since  last  autumn,  and  if 
you  think  I  am  going  to  let  you  escape  now,  you're 
very  much  mistaken.  Such  a  thing  is  not  to  be  thought 
of — is  it,  mother?  " 

Thus  appealed  to,  Mrs.  Merridew  was  kind  enough 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  23 

to  say  that  she  hoped  I  would  comply  with  her  hus 
band's  wishes.  The  daughters  murmured  something, 
which  I  have  no  doubt  was  intended  to  be  a  compli 
mentary  expression  of  their  feelings,  while  the  son  com 
menced  a  remark,  failed  to  make  himself  intelligible, 
and  then  lapsed  into  silence  again. 

Thus  hemmed  in,  it  remained  for  me  to  invent  a 
valid  excuse,  or  to  fall  in  with  their  plans.  I  effected  a 
compromise,  informed  them  that  I  should  be  much 
pleased  to  accompany  them  to  the  Academy,  but  that 
it  was  quite  impossible  I  should  dine  with  them  after 
ward,  or  even  visit  the  theatre  in  their  company,  hav 
ing,  as  was  quite  true,  already  accepted  an  invitation 
for  that  evening.  Five  minutes  later  the  matter  was 
settled,  and  we  were  making  our  way  toward  Piccadilly 
and  Burlington  House. 

In  the  light  of  all  that  has  happened  since,  I  can 
only  regard  my  behaviour  on  that  occasion  with  a  con 
temptuous  sort  of  pity.  The  minutest  details  con 
nected  with  that  afternoon's  amusement  are  as  clearly 
photographed  upon  my  brain  as  if  they  had  occurred 
but  yesterday.  If  I  close  my  eyes  for  a  moment,  I  can 
see,  just  as  I  saw  it  then,  the  hawkers  selling  cata 
logues  in  the  busy  street  outside,  the  great  courtyard 
with  the  lines  of  waiting  carriages,  the  fashionable 
crowd  ascending  and  descending  the  stairs,  and  in 
side  the  rooms  that  surging  mass  of  well-dressed  hu 
manity  so  characteristic  of  London  and  the  season. 
"When  we  had  fought  our  way  to  the  vestibule,  I  was  for 
doing  the  round  of  the  rooms  in  the  orthodox  fashion. 
This,  however,  it  appeared,  was  by  no  means  to  George 
Merridew's  taste.  He  received  my  suggestion  with  ap 
propriate  scorn. 

"  Come,  come,  old  fellow,"  he  replied,  "  we're  first 
going  to  see  your  picture.  It  was  that  which  brought 


24:  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

us  here;  and,  as  soon  as  I  have  told  you  what  I  think 
of  it,  the  rest  of  the  daubs  may  go  hang  as  far  as  I 
am  concerned." 

Now,  it  is  an  indisputable  fact  that,  whatever  Na 
ture  may,  or  may  not,  have  done  for  me,  she  has  at 
least  endowed  me  with  an  extremely  sensitive  disposi 
tion.  My  feelings,  therefore,  may  be  imagined  when  I 
tell  you  that  my  old  friend  spoke  in  a  voice  that  was 
quite  audible  above  the  polite  murmur  of  the  crowd, 
and  which  must  have  penetrated  to  the  farthest  end  of 
the  room.  Not  content  with  that,  he  saluted  me  with  a 
sounding  smack  on  the  back,  bidding  me,  at  the  same 
time,  consign  my  modesty  to  the  winds,  for  everybody 
knew — by  everybody,  I  presume  he  meant  his  neigh 
bours  in  the  country — that  I  was  the  rising  man  of 
the  day,  and  would  inevitably  be  elected  President  be 
fore  I  died.  To  avert  this  flood  of  idiotic  compliment, 
and  feeling  myself  growing  hot  from  head  to  foot,  I 
took  him  by  the  arm  and  conducted  him  hastily 
through  the  room  toward  that  portion  of  the  building 
where  my  picture  was  displayed. 

Whether  the  work  was  good,  bad,  or  indifferent,  the 
public  at  least  paid  me  the  compliment  of  bestowing 
their  attention  upon  it,  and  their  behaviour  on  this 
occasion  was  no  exception  to  the  rule.  I  hope  I  shall 
not  be  considered  more  conceited  than  my  fellows;  at 
the  risk  of  it,  however,  I  must  confess  to  a  feeling  of 
pride  as  I  glanced,  first  at  the  crowd  wedged  in  before 
the  rail,  and  then  at  the  party  by  my  side.  George 
Merri dew's  face  alone  was  worth  the  trouble  and  time 
I  had  spent  upon  the  canvas.  His  eyes  were  opened  to 
their  fullest  extent;  his  lips  were  also  parted,  but  no 
sound  came  from  them.  Even  the  face  of  my  formi 
dable  friend,  the  tennis  champion,  betrayed  a  measure 
of  interest  that,  in  the  light  of  her  previous  behaviour, 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  25 

was  more  than  flattering.  For  some  moments  we  stood 
together  on  the  outskirts  of  the  throng.  Then  those 
who  were  directly  in  front  moved  away,  and  my  friends 
immediately  stepped  into  the  gap  and  took  their  places. 
As  there  was  no  reason  why  I  should  follow  their  ex 
ample,  I  remained  outside,  watching  the  faces  and 
noting  the  different  effects  the  picture  produced  upon 
them. 

I  had  not  been  alone  more  than  a  few  seconds, 
however,  before  I  became  sensible  of  a  curious  sensa 
tion.  It  was  accompanied  by  a  lowering  of  the  pulse 
that  was  quite  perceptible,  followed  by  an  extraor 
dinary  feeling  of  nausea.  I  battled  against  it  in  vain. 
The  room  and  its  occupants  began  to  swim  before  me. 
I  tottered,  and  at  length,  being  unable  any  longer  to 
support  myself,  sat  down  on  the  seat  behind  me.  When 
I  looked  up  again  I  could  scarcely  credit  the  evidence 
of  my  senses.  Approaching  me  from  the  crowd,  lean 
ing  upon  his  stick,  just  as  I  remembered  him  on  the 
previous  occasion,  and  dressed  in  the  same  extraordi 
nary  fashion,  was  the  old  man  whose  personality  had 
given  me  such  a  shock  at  the  foot  of  Cleopatra's  Needle. 
His  face  was  as  thin  and  as  wrinkled  as  I  had  seen 
it  then,  and  I  also  noticed  that  he  wore  the  same 
indescribable  look  of  cruelty  and  cunning  that  I  re 
membered  so  well.  One  thing  was  quite  plain,  how 
ever  profoundly  I  may  have  been  affected  by  my  prox 
imity  to  this  singular  being:  I  was  not  the  only  one 
who  came  within  the  sphere  of  his  influence.  Indeed, 
it  was  strange  to  notice  the  manner  in  which  the  polite 
crowd  drew  away  from  him,  and  the  different  expres 
sions  upon  their  faces  as  they  stepped  aside  in  order 
to  give  him  room  to  pass.  Had  he  been  a  snake,  they 
could  scarcely  have  shown  a  more  unanimous  desire  to 
withdraw  from  his  neighbourhood.  On  this  occasion 


26  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

he  was  evidently  not  alone.  I  gathered  this  from  the 
fact  that,  as  soon  as  he  had  emerged  from  the  crowd, 
he  paused  as  if  to  wait  for  a  companion.  A  moment 
later  a  woman  come  to  his  side — a  woman  who  carried 
herself  like  a  daughter  of  the  gods;  the  most  beautiful 
creature,  I  can  safely  assert,  that  I  have  ever  seen  either 
in  this  or  any  other  country.  If  her  companion's 
height  was  below  the  average,  hers  was  at  least  several 
inches  above  it.  But  it  was  neither  her  stature,  the 
exquisite  symmetry  of  her  figure,  the  beauty  of  her 
face,  the  luxuriance  of  her  hair,  nor  the  elegance  of  her 
attire  that  fascinated  me.  It  was  the  expression  I  saw 
in  her  dark,  lustrous  eyes. 

It  is  essential  to  my  profession  that  I  should  be 
continually  studying  the  human  face,  attempting  to 
obtain  from  it  some  clew  as  to  the  character  of  the 
owner,  and  learning  to  read  in  it  the  workings  of  the 
mind  within.  And  what  I  read  in  this  woman's  face 
was  a  sorrow  that  nothing  could  assuage,  a  hopelessness 
that  was  not  limited  to  this  earth,  but  was  fast  passing 
into  the  Eternal. 

Having  once  freed  herself  from  the  crowd,  who, 
you  may  be  sure,  turned  and  stared  after  her  as  if  she 
were  some  rare  and  beautiful  animal,  she  took  her 
place  at  her  companion's  side,  and  they  passed  along  the 
room  together,  finally  disappearing  through  the  arch 
way  at  the  farther  end.  A  moment  later  the  eldest 
of  my  friend's  daughters  joined  me.  I  had  never 
credited  her  with  the  possession  of  so  much  emotion 
as  she  displayed  at  that  moment. 

"  Mr.  Forrester,"  she  said,  "  I  want  you  to  tell  me 
if  you  have  ever  seen  anything  so  awful  as  that  old 
man's  face?  " 

"  I  think  I  can  safely  say  that  I  never  have,"  I 
answered;  and  then,  in  an  attempt  to  conceal  the  emo- 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  27 

tion  I  was  still  feeling,  added,  "  I  wonder  who  he  can 
be?" 

"  I  can  not  imagine,"  she  continued,  "  but  I'm  cer 
tain  of  this,  that  I  never  want  to  see  him  again." 

At  that  moment  we  were  joined  by  the  remainder 
of  the  family. 

"  By  Jove!  Forrester,"  said  the  squire,  but  without 
his  usual  heartiness,  "  I  don't  know  what  is  coming 
to  this  place.  Did  you  see  that  little  chap  in  the  fur 
coat  and  skullcap  who  came  out  of  the  crowd  just  now 
with  that  fine-looking  woman  behind  him?  You  may 
scarcely  credit  it,  but  his  face  gave  me  quite  a  turn.  I 
haven't  got  over  it  yet." 

"  The  girl  with  him  was  very  beautiful,"  murmured 
his  wife  gently;  "  but  there  was  something  about  her 
face  that  struck  me  as  being  very  sad.  I  should  like  to 
know  what  relationship  she  bears  to  him." 

"  His  granddaughter,  I  should  imagine,"  said  Miss 
Merridew,  who  was  still  watching  the  entrance  to  the 
next  room  as  if  she  expected  them  to  return. 

"  Nonsense!  "  cried  the  squire  impatiently.  "His 
great-granddaughter,  you  mean.  I'll  stake  my  reputa 
tion  that  the  old  fellow  is  as  old  as  Methuselah.  What 
say  you,  Forrester?  " 

I  can  not  now  remember  what  answer  I  returned. 
I  only  know  that  we  presently  found  ourselves  on  the 
pavement  of  Piccadilly,  saying  good-bye,  and  express 
ing  our  thanks  in  an  aimless  sort  of  fashion  for  the 
pleasure  we  had  derived  from  each  other's  society. 

Having  seen  them  safely  on  their  way  toward  Ee- 
gent  Street,  I  strolled  along  Piccadilly  in  the  direction 
of  my  studio,  thinking  as  I  went  of  that  terrible  old 
man  whose  personality  had  twice  given  me  such  a 
shock,  and  also  of  the  beautiful  woman,  his  companion. 
The  effect  they  had  produced  upon  me  must  have  been 


28  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

something  out  of  the  common,  for  I  soon  discovered 
that  I  could  think  of  nothing  else.  It  was  in  vain  I 
looked  in  at  my  club  and  attempted  to  engage  in  con 
versation  with  friends,  or  that,  when  I  reached  home, 
I  threw  myself  into  an  easy-chair  and  endeavoured  to 
interest  myself  in  a  book.  Out  of  the  centre  of  every 
page  peered  that  wicked  old  face,  with  its  pallid, 
wrinkled  skin,  and  lack-lustre  eyes.  For  upward  of  an 
hour  I  wrestled  with  the  feeling,  but  without  success. 
The  man's  image  was  not  conducive  to  peace  of  mind, 
and  I  knew  very  well  that  unless  I  found  some  distrac 
tion  I  should  be  dreaming  of  him  at  night.  Accord 
ingly  I  rose  from  my  chair  and  crossed  the  room  to 
a  table  on  which  stood  a  large  Satsuma  bowl,  in  which 
it  was  my  custom  to  place  the  invitations  I  received. 
That  evening  fortune  favoured  me.  I  had  the  choice 
of  four  houses.  Two  I  rejected  without  a  second 
thought;  between  the  others  I  scarcely  knew  how  to 
decide.  Though  I  was  not  aware  of  it,  my  evil  destiny, 
for  the  second  time  that  day,  was  standing  at  my  elbow, 
egging  me  on  to  ruin.  It  appeared  I  had  the  choice  of 
a  dance  in  the  Cromwell  Eoad,  another  in  Belgrave 
Square;  private  theatricals  in  Queen's  Gate,  and  a 
musical  "  at  home  "  in  Eaton  Square.  I  did  not  feel 
equal  to  dances  or  private  theatricals,  and,  thinking 
music  would  soothe  my  troubled  mind,  I  decided  for 
Eaton  Square,  and  in  so  doing  brought  about  the 
misery  and  downfall  of  my  life. 

Nine  o'clock  that  evening,  accordingly,  found  me 
ascending  the  staircase  of  Medenham  House,  greeting 
my  hostess  in  the  anteroom,  and  passing  thence  into 
the  great  drawing-room  beyond.  There  is  not  a  more 
conspicuous  power  within  the  range  of  her  hobby  than 
her  ladyship,  and  at  her  house  one  hears  all  that  is 
newest  and  most  likely  to  be  famous  in  the  musical 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  29 

world.  Many  now  celebrated  artistes  owe  much  of 
what  they  have  since  achieved  to  the  helping  hand  she 
held  out  to  them  when  they  were  struggling  up  the 
rugged  hill  of  fame. 

On  entering  the  room  I  looked  about  me  in  the 
hope  of  finding  some  one  I  knew,  but  for  some  mo 
ments  was  unsuccessful.  Then  I  espied,  seated  in  a  cor 
ner,  almost  hidden  by  a  magnificent  palm,  a  man  with 
whom  I  possessed  some  slight  acquaintance.  1  strolled 
toward  him,  and  after  a  few  moments'  conversation 
took  my  place  at  his  side.  He  had  himself  achieved 
considerable  success  as  an  amateur  violinist,  and  was  a 
distant  relative  of  our  hostess. 

"  I  suppose,  like  the  rest  of  us,  you  have  come  to 
hear  Lady  Medenham's  latest  prodigy?"  he  said,  after 
the  usual  polite  nothings  had  been  said. 

"  I  am  ashamed  to  confess  I  have  heard  nothing  at 
all  about  him,"  I  answered. 

"  Her,  my  dear  sir,"  he  replied,  with  a  little  laugh. 
"  Our  hostess  says  she  is  marvellous." 

"A  pianist?" 

"Indeed,  no!  A  violinist,  and  with,  I  believe,  the 
additional  advantage  of  being  a  very  beautiful  woman. 
Lady  Medenham  met  her  in  Munich,  and  she  has  raved 
about  her  ever  since.  Xeedless  to  say,  she  invited  her 
to  visit  her  as  soon  as  she  reached  London." 

What  the  connection  could  have  been  it  is  impos 
sible  to  say,  but  by  some  occult  reasoning  I  instantly 
associated  this  new  wonder  with  the  magnificent  crea 
ture  I  had  seen  at  Burlington  House  that  afternoon. 

"  You  have  already  made  her  acquaintance,  I  pre 
sume?  "  I  said  in  a  tone  of  mild  curiosity. 

"  N^o  such  luck,"  he  answered.  "  I  have  not  been 
permitted  that  pleasure.  From  all  accounts,  however, 
she  is  really  very  wonderful.  All  the  people  I  have 
3 


30  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

met  who  have  heard  her  declare  they  have  never  known 
anything  like  her  playing.  And  the  funniest  part  of  it 
is,  she  is  accompanied  everywhere  by  a  man  who  is  as 
physically  repulsive  as  she  is  beautiful." 

"  A  little  old  man  with  an  extraordinary  complex 
ion,  deep-set,  horrible  eyes,  who  wears  a  fur  coat  and 
a  peculiar  cap  in  the  height  of  the  season,  and  looks 
at  least  a  hundred  years  old?  " 

"  From  all  accounts  you  describe  him  exactly. 
Where  did  you  meet  him  ?  " 

"  I  saw  them  both  at  the  Academy  this  afternoon," 
I  answered.  "  She  is,  as  you  say,  very  beautiful;  but 
she  scarcely  struck  me  as  being  English." 

"  She  is  not.  She  is  Hungarian,  I  believe,  but 
she  has  travelled  a  great  deal  and  speaks  English  per 
fectly." 

"  And  her  companion — what  nation  has  the  honour 
of  claiming  him  as  her  son?" 

"  Ah,  that  I  can  not  tell  you!  He  is  a  mystery,  for 
no  one  seems  to  know  anything  about  him.  Nor  is  it 
at  all  certain  what  relationship  he  bears  to  the  woman. 
But  see,  here  is  Lord  Medenham.  The  performance  is 
evidently  about  to  commence." 

As  he  spoke  there  was  a  general  turning  of  heads  in 
the  direction  of  the  anteroom,  and  almost  simultane 
ously  my  hostess  entered  the  room,  accompanied  by  the 
exquisite  creature  I  had  seen  emerging  from  the  crowd 
before  my  picture  that  afternoon.  If  she  had  looked 
beautiful  then,  she  was  doubly  so  now.  Dressed  to 
perfection,  as  on  the  previous  occasion,  she  towered 
head  and  shoulders  above  Lady  Medenham,  who  is  gen 
erally  considered  tall  for  her  sex,  and  carried  herself 
with  a  more  imperial  grace  than  is  boasted  by  any  em 
press  I  have  ever  seen. 

A  few  paces  behind  her  followed  the  man  who  had 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  31 

been  her  companion  that  afternoon.  On  this  occasion 
also  he  disdained  the  orthodox  style  of  dress,  wore  a 
black  velvet  coat,  closely  buttoned  beneath  his  chin, 
and  upon  his  head  a  skullcap  of  the  same  material. 
As  on  the  previous  occasions,  he  walked  with  a  stick, 
leaning  upon  it  heavily  like  an  old  man  of  ninety. 
Beaching  that  portion  of  the  room  in  which  the  piano 
was  situated,  he  dropped  into  a  chair,  without  waiting 
for  his  hostess  to  seat  herself,  and,  laying  his  head  back, 
closed  his  eyes  as  if  the  exertion  of  walking  had  been 
too  much  for  him.  A  servant,  who  had  followed  close 
behind,  wrapped  a  heavy  rug  about  his  knees  and  then 
withdrew.  Meanwhile  his  beautiful  companion  stood 
for  a  moment  looking  down  at  him,  and  then,  with  a 
little  gesture  the  significance  of  which  I  could  not  then 
interpret,  accepted  her  hostess's  invitation  and  seated 
herself  beside  her. 

The  first  item  on  the  programme  was  a  nocturne 
rendered  by  the  composer,  a  famous  pianist  who  at  the 
time  was  delighting  all  London.  He  seated  himself  at 
the  piano  and  began  to  play.  I  am  afraid,  however,  I 
spared  but  small  attention  for  his  performance.  My 
interest  was  centred  on  that  huddled-up  figure  under 
the  fur  rug  and  the  beautiful  creature  at  his  side. 
Then  a  change  came,  and  once  more  I  experienced 
the  same  sensation  of  revulsion  that  had  overwhelmed 
me  twice  before.  Again  I  felt  sick  and  giddy;  once 
more  a  clammy  sweat  broke  out  upon  my  forehead,  and 
at  last,  unable  any  longer  to  control  myself,  I  rose 
from  my  seat. 

"What  on  earth  is  the  matter?"  inquired  my 
friend,  who  had  been  watching  me.  "Are  you  ill?" 

"  I  believe  I'm  going  to  faint,"  I  replied.  "  I  must 
get  into  the  air.  But  there  is  no  necessity  for  you  to 
come.  I  shall  be  all  right  alone." 


32  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

So  saying  I  signed  him  back  to  his  seat,  and,  slip 
ping  quietly  from  the  corner,  made  my  way  through 
the  anteroom  into  the  marble  corridor  beyond.  Once 
there  I  leant  against  the  balustrading  of  the  staircase 
and  endeavoured  to  pull  myself  together.  A  groom  of 
the  chambers,  who  was  passing  at  the  time,  seeing  there 
was  something  amiss,  approached  and  inquired  if  he 
could  be  of  service. 

"I  am  feeling  a  little  faint,"  I  replied.  "The 
heat  of  the  drawing-room  was  too  much  for  me.  If 
you  can  get  me  a  little  brandy  I  think  I  shall  be  quite 
well  in  a  few  moments." 

The  man  departed  and  presently  came  back  with 
the  spirit  I  had  asked  for.  With  the  return  of  my  self- 
possession  I  endeavoured  to  arrive  at  an  understanding 
of  what  had  occasioned  the  attack.  I  was  not  subject 
to  fainting-fits,  but  was  in  every  respect  as  strong  as 
the  majority  of  my  fellow-creatures. 

"  It's  all  nonsense,"  I  said  to  myself,  "  to  ascribe 
it  to  that  old  fellow's  presence.  How  could  such  a 
thing  affect  me?  At  any  rate,  I'll  try  the  experiment, 
once  more." 

So  saying,  I  returned  to  the  drawing-room. 

I  was  only  just  in  time,  for,  as  I  entered,  the  lady 
who  had  hitherto  been  seated  by  her  hostess's  side  rose 
from  her  chair  and  moved  toward  the  piano.  As  no 
one  else  stirred,  it  was  plain  that  she  was  going  to  dis 
pense  with  the  services  of  an  accompanist.  Taking  her 
violin  from  a  table  she  drew  her  bow  gently  across  the 
strings,  and,  when  she  had  tuned  it,  stood  looking 
straight  before  her  down  the  room.  How  beautiful 
she  was  at  that  moment  I  can  not  hope  to  make  you 
understand.  Then  she  began  to  play.  What  the  work 
was  I  did  not  then  know,  but  I  have  since  discovered 
that  it  was  her  own.  It  opened  with  a  movement  in 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  33 

the  minor — low  and  infinitely  sad.  There  was  a  note 
of  unappeasable  yearning  in  it,  a  cry  that  might  well 
have  been  wrung  from  a  heart  that  was  breaking  be 
neath  the  weight  of  a  deadly  sin;  a  weird,  unearthly 
supplication  for  mercy  from  a  soul  that  was  beyond 
redemption  or  the  reach  of  hope.  None  but  a  great 
musician  could  have  imagined  such  a  theme,  and  then 
only  under  the  influence  of  a  supreme  despair.  While 
it  lasted  her  audience  sat  spell-bound.  There  was 
scarcely  one  among  them  who  was  not  a  lover  of  music, 
and  many  were  world-famous  for  their  talent.  This, 
however,  was  such  playing  as  none  of  us  had  ever  heard 
before,  or,  indeed,  had  even  dreamed  of.  Then  by  im 
perceptible  gradations  the  music  reached  its  height  and 
died  slowly  down,  growing  fainter  and  fainter  until  it 
expired  in  a  long-drawn  sob.  Absolute  silence  greeted 
its  termination.  Not  a  hand  was  raised;  not  a  word 
was  uttered.  If  proof  were  wanting  of  the  effect  she 
had  produced,  it  was  to  be  fonud  in  this.  The  violinist 
bowed,  a  trifle  disdainfully,  I  thought,  and,  having 
placed  her  instrument  on  the  table  once  more,  returned 
to  Lady  Medenham's  side.  Then  a  young  German 
singer  and  his  accompanist  crossed  the  room  and  took 
their  places  at  the  piano.  The  famous  pianist,  who  had 
first  played,  followed  the  singer,  and  when  he  had  re 
sumed  his  seat  the  violinist  rose  and  once  more  took 
up  her  instrument. 

This  time  there  was  no  pause.  With  an  abrupt 
ness  that  was  startling,  she  burst  into  a  wild  barbaric 
dance.  The  notes  danced  and  leaped  upon  each  other 
in  joyous  confusion,  creating  an  enthusiasm  that  was 
as  instantaneous  as  it  was  remarkable.  It  was  a  tar 
antella  of  the  wildest  description — nay,  I  should  rather 
say  a  dance  of  Satyrs.  The  player's  eyes  flashed  above 
the  instrument,  her  lithe,  exquisite  figure  rocked  and 


34:  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

swayed  beneath  the  spell  of  the  emotion  she  was  con 
juring  up.  Faster  and  faster  her  bow  swept  across  the 
strings,  and  as  before,  though  now  for  a  very  different 
reason,  her  audience  sat  fascinated  before  her.  The 
first  work  had  been  the  outcome  of  despair,  this  was 
the  music  of  unqualified  happiness,  of  the  peculiar  joy 
of  living — nay,  of  the  very  essence  and  existence  of  life 
itself.  Then  it  ceased  as  suddenly  as  it  had  begun,  and 
once  more  she  bowed,  put  down  her  violin,  and  ap 
proached  her  hostess.  The  programme  was  at  an  end, 
and  the  enthusiastic  audience  clustered  round  to  con 
gratulate  her.  For  my  own  part  I  was  curiously  ill  at 
ease.  In  a  vague  sort  of  fashion  I  had  appropriated 
her  music  to  myself,  and  now  I  resented  the  praise  the 
fashionable  mob  was  showering  upon  her.  According 
ly  I  drew  back  a  little  and  made  up  my  mind  to  get 
through  the  crowd  and  slip  quietly  away.  By  the  time 
I  was  able  to  emerge  from  my  corner,  however,  there 
was  a  movement  at  the  end  of  the  room,  and  it  be 
came  evident  that  the  player  and  her  companion  were 
also  about  to  take  their  departure.  Accompanied  by 
Lord  and  Lady  Medenham  they  approached  the  spot 
where  I  was  standing,  endeavouring  to  reach  the  door. 
Had  it  been  possible  I  would  have  taken  shelter  be 
hind  my  palm  again  in  order  that  my  presence  might 
not  have  been  observed.  But  it  was  too  late.  Lady 
Medenham  had  caught  my  eye,  and  now  stopped  to 
speak. 

"Mr.  Forrester,"  she  said,  "  we  have  been  permitted 
a  great  treat  to-night,  have  we  not?  You  must  let  me 
introduce  you  to  the  Fraulein  Valerie  de  Yocxqal." 

I  bowed,  and,  despite  the  fact  that,  regarded  in 
the  light  of  her  genius,  such  a  thing  was  little  better 
than  an  insult,  followed  the  example  of  my  betters  and 
murmured  a  complimentary  allusion  to  her  playing 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  35 

and  the  pleasure  she  had  given  us.  She  thanked  me, 
all  the  time  watching  me  with  grave,  attentive  eyes, 
into  which  there  had  suddenly  flashed  a  light  that  was 
destined  to  puzzle  me  for  a  long  time,  and  the  reason 
of  which  I  could  not  understand.  Then  came  the 
crucial  moment  when  Lady  Medenham  turned  to  me 
again,  and  said: 

"  Mr.  Forrester,  Monsieur  Pharos  has  expressed  a 
desire  to  he  introduced  to  you.  I  told  him  yesterday 
I  thought  you  would  be  here  to-night.  May  I  have 
the  pleasure  of  making  you  acquainted  with  each 
other?  " 

Those  cold,  dead  eyes  fixed  themselves  steadily  on 
mine,  and,  under  their  influence,  I  felt  as  if  my  brain 
were  freezing. 

"  I  am  indeed  honoured,  sir,"  he  said,  "  and  I  trust 
I  may  be  permitted  to  express  a  hope  of  enlarging  our 
acquaintance.  I  understand  you  are  the  painter  of 
that  very  wonderful  picture  I  saw  at  the  Academy  this 
afternoon?  Allow  me  to  offer  you  my  congratulations 
upon  it.  It  interested  me  more  deeply  than  I  can  say, 
and  on  some  future  date  I  shall  be  grateful  if  you  will 
let  me  talk  to  you  upon  the  subject.  The  knowledge 
it  displayed  of  the  country  and  the  period  is  remark 
able  in  these  days.  May  I  ask  how  it  was  acquired?  " 

"  My  father  was  a  famous  Egyptologist,"  I  replied. 
"  All  that  I  know  I  learned  from  him.  Are  you  also 
familiar  with  the  country?" 

"  There  are  few  things  and  fewer  countries  with 
which  I  am  not  familiar,"  he  replied,  somewhat  con 
ceitedly,  but  still  watching  me  and  speaking  with  the 
same  peculiar  gravity.  "  Some  day  I  shall  hope  to 
offer  you  conclusive  evidence  on  that  point.  In  the 
meantime  the  hour  grows  late.  I  thank  you  and  bid 
you  farewell." 


36  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

Then,  with  a  bow,  he  passed  on,  and  a  moment 
later  I,  too,  had  quitted  the  house  and  was  making 
my  way  homeward,  trying  to  collect  my  impressions  of 
the  evening  as  I  went. 


CHAPTER   III. 

To  infer  that  my  introduction  that  evening  to  the 
beautiful  violinist  and  her  diabolical  companion,  Mon 
sieur  Pharos,  produced  no  effect  upon  me,  would  be 
as  idle  as  it  would  misleading.  On  leaving  Medenham 
House  I  was  conscious  of  a  variety  of  sensations,  among 
which  attraction  for  the  woman,  repugnance  for  the 
man,  and  curiosity  as  to  the  history  and  relationship 
of  both  could  be  most  easily  distinguished.  What  was 
perhaps  still  more  perplexing,  considering  the  small, 
but  none  the  less  genuine,  antagonism  that  existed 
between  us,  by  the  time  I  reached  my  own  abode  I 
had  lost  my  first  intense  hatred  for  the  man,  and  was 
beginning  to  look  forward,  with  a  degree  of  interest 
which  a  few  hours  before  would  have  surprised  me,  to 
that  next  meeting  which  he  had  prophesied  would  so 
soon  come  to  pass.  Lightly  as  I  proposed  to  myself  to 
treat  it,  his  extraordinary  individuality  must  have 
taken  a  greater  hold  upon  me  than  I  imagined,  for,  as 
in  the  afternoon,  I  soon  discovered  that,  try  to  divert 
my  thoughts  from  it  how  I  would,  I  could  not  dispel 
his  sinister  image  from  my  mind.  Every  detail  of  the 
evening's  entertainment  was  vividly  photographed 
upon  my  brain,  and  without  even  the  formality  of  shut 
ting  my  eyes,  I  could  see  the  crowded  room,  the  beauti 
ful  violinist  standing,  instrument  in  hand,  beside  the 
piano,  and  in  the  chair  at  her  feet  her  strange  com 
panion,  huddled  up  beneath  his  rug. 

37 


38  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

By  the  time  I  reached  home  it  was  considerably 
past  midnight;  I  was  not,  however,  the  least  tired,  so, 
exchanging  my  dress  coat  for  an  old  velvet  painting 
jacket,  for  which  I  entertained  a  lasting  affection,  I 
lit  a  cigar  and  hegan  to  promenade  the  room.  It  had 
been  a  fancy  of  mine  when  I  first  took  the  studio, 
which,  you  must  understand,  was  of  more  than  the 
usual  size,  to  have  it  decorated  in  the  Egyptian  fash 
ion,  and,  after  my  meeting  with  Pharos,  this  seemed 
to  have  a  singular  appropriateness.  It  was  as  if  the 
quaint  images  of  the  gods,  which  decorated  the  walls, 
were  watching  me  with  almost  human  interest,  and 
even  the  gilded  countenance  upon  the  mummy-case,  in 
the  alcove  at  the  farther  end,  wore  an  expression  I 
had  never  noticed  on  it  before.  It  might  have  been 
saying:  "  Ah,  my  nineteenth  century  friend,  your 
father  stole  me  from  the  land  of  my  birth,  and  from  the 
resting-place  the  gods  decreed  for  me;  but  beware,  for 
retribution  is  pursuing  you  and  is  even  now  close  upon 
your  heels." 

Cigar  in  hand,  I  stopped  in  my  walk  and  looked  at 
it,  thinking  as  I  did  so  of  the  country  from  which  it 
had  hailed,  and  of  the  changes  that  had  taken  place 
in  the  world  during  the  time  it  had  lain  in  its  Theban 
tomb,  whence  it  had  emerged  in  the  middle  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  with  colouring  as  fresh,  and  detail 
as  perfect,  as  on  the  day  when  the  hieroglyphs  had 
first  left  the  artist's  hand.  It  was  an  unusually  fine 
specimen — one  of  the  most  perfect,  indeed,  of  its  kind 
ever  brought  to  England,  and,  under  the  influence  of 
the  interest  it  now  inspired  in  me,  I  went  to  an  ancient 
cabinet  on  the  other  side  of  the  room,  and,  opening  a 
small  drawer,  took  from  it  a  bulky  pocketbook,  once 
the  property  of  my  father.  He  it  was,  as  I  have  already 
said,  who  had  discovered  the  mummy  in  question,  and 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  39 

it  was  from  him,  at  his  death,  in  company  with  many 
other  Egyptian  treasures,  that  I  received  it. 

As  I  turned  the  yellow,  time-stained  pages  in  search 
of  the  information  I  wanted,  the  clock  of  St.  Jude's, 
in  the  street  behind,  struck  one,  solemnly  and  deliber 
ately,  as  though  it  were  conscious  of  the  part  it  played 
in  the  passage  of  time  into  eternity.  To  my  surprise 
the  reference  was  more  difficult  to  find  than  I  had  an 
ticipated.  Entries  there  were  in  hundreds;  records  of 
distances  travelled,  of  measurements  taken,  evidence  as 
to  the  supposed  whereabouts  of  tombs,  translations  of 
hieroglyphics,  paintings,  and  inscriptions,  memoranda 
of  amounts  paid  to  Arab  sheiks,  details  of  stores  and 
equipments,  but  for  some  time  no  trace  of  the  informa 
tion  for  which  I  was  searching.  At  last,  however,  it 
struck  me  to  look  in  the  pocket  contained  in  the  cover 
of  the  book.  My  diligence  was  immediately  rewarded, 
for  there,  carefully  folded  and  hidden  away,  was  the 
small  square  of  parchment  upon  which  my  father  had 
written  the  name  once  borne  by  the  dead  man,  with 
a  complete  translation  of  the  record  upon  the  carton- 
nage  itself.  According  to  the  statement  here  set  forth, 
the  coffin  contained  the  mortal  remains  of  a  certain 
Ptahmes,  Chief  of  the  King's  Magicians — an  individual 
who  flourished  during  the  reign  of  Menptah  (Amen- 
epthes  of  the  Greeks,  but  better  known  to  the  nine 
teenth  century  as  the  Pharaoh  of  the  Exodus).  For  all 
I  knew  to  the  contrary,  my  silent  property  might  have 
been  one  of  that  band  of  conjurors  who  pitted  their 
wits  against  Moses,  and  by  so  doing  had  caused  Pha 
raoh's  heart  to  be  hardened  so  that  he  would  not  let  the 
Children  go.  Once  more  I  stood  looking  at  the  stolid 
representation  of  a  face  before  me,  guessing  at  the 
history  of  the  man  within,  and  wondering  whether  his 
success  in  life  had  equalled  his  ambition,  or  was  com- 


40  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

mensurate  with  his  merits,  and  whether  in  that  age, 
so  long  since  dead,  his  heart  had  ever  been  thrilled 
by  thoughts  of  love. 

While  wrapped  in  this  brown  study,  my  ears,  which 
on  that  particular  occasion  were  for  some  reason  ab 
normally  acute,  detected  the  sound  of  a  soft  footfall 
on  the  polished  boards  at  the  farther  end  of  the  room. 
I  wheeled  sharply  round,  and  a  moment  later  almost 
fell  back  against  the  mummy-case  under  the  influence 
of  my  surprise.  (How  he  had  got  there  I  could  not  tell, 
for  I  was  certain  I  had  locked  the  door  behind  me 
when  I  entered  the  house.)  It  is  sufficient,  however, 
that,  standing  before  me,  scarcely  a  dozen  feet  away, 
breathing  heavily  as  though  he  had  been  running,  and 
with  what  struck  me  as  a  frightened  look  in  his  eyes, 
was  no  less  a  person  than  Monsieur  Pharos,  the  man 
I  had  met  at  the  foot  of  Cleopatra's  Needle  some  weeks 
before,  at  the  Academy  that  afternoon,  and  at  Med en- 
ham  House  only  a  couple  of  hours  since.  Upward  of 
a  minute  must  have  elapsed  before  I  could  find  suf 
ficient  voice  to  inquire  the  reason  of  his  presence  in 
my  room. 

"  My  dear  Mr.  Forrester,"  he  said  in  a  conciliatory 
tone,  "  while  offering  you  ten  thousand  apologies  for 
my  intrusion,  I  must  explain  that  it  is  quite  by  acci 
dent  I  am  here.  On  reaching  home  this  evening  I 
pined  for  a  breath  of  fresh  air.  Accordingly  I  went 
for  a  stroll,  lost  my  way,  and  eventually  found  myself 
in  this  street,  where,  seeing  an  open  door,  I  took  the 
liberty  of  entering  for  the  purpose  of  inquiring  the  way 
to  my  hotel.  It  was  not  until  you  turned  round  that  I 
realised  my  good  fortune  in  having  chanced  upon  a 
friend.  It  is  plain,  however,  that  my  presence  is  not 
as  welcome  as  I  could  have  desired." 

From  the  way  he  spoke  I  gathered  that  for  some 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  41 

purpose  of  his  own  he  had  taken,  or  was  pretending  to 
take,  offence  at  my  reception  of  him.  Knowing,  there 
fore,  that  if  I  desired  to  see  anything  further  of  his 
beautiful  companion,  an  idea  which  I  will  confess  had 
more  than  once  occurred  to  me,  1  must  exert  myself 
to  conciliate  him,  I  hastened  to  apologise  for  the  wel 
come  I  had  given  him,  explaining  that  any  momen 
tary  hesitation  I  might  have  shown  was  due  more  to 
my  surprise  than  to  any  intended  discourtesy  toward 
himself. 

"  In  that  case  let  us  agree  to  say  no  more  about  it," 
he  answered  politely,  but  with  the  same  expression  of 
cunning  upon  his  face  to  which  I  have  referred  else 
where.  "  You  were  quite  within  your  rights.  I  should 
have  remembered  that  in  England  an  impromptu  visit 
at  one  in  the  morning,  on  the  part  of  an  acquaintance 
of  a  few  hours'  standing,  is  scarcely  likely  to  be  well 
received." 

"  If  you  will  carry  your  memory  back  a  few  weeks," 
I  said,  as  I  wheeled  a  chair  up  for  him,  "  you  will 
remember  that  our  acquaintance  is  not  of  such  a  recent 
date." 

"  I  am  rejoiced  to  hear  it,"  he  replied,  with  a  sharp 
glance  at  me  as  he  seated  himself.  "  Nevertheless,  I 
must  confess  that  I  fail  for  the  moment  to  remember 
where  I  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  you  on  that 
occasion.  It  is  not  a  complimentary  admission,  I  will 
admit;  but,  as  you  know,  age  is  proverbially  forget 
ful,  and  my  memory  is  far  from  being  what  it  once 
was." 

Could  the  man  be  pretending,  or  had  the  incident 
really  escaped  his  memory?  It  was  just  possible,  of 
course,  that  on  that  occasion  my  face  had  failed  to 
impress  itself  upon  his  recollection;  but  after  the  hard 
things  I  had  said  to  him  on  that  memorable  occasion, 


42  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

I  had  to  confess  it  seemed  unlikely.  Then  the  re 
membrance  of  the  drowning  man's  piteous  cry  for 
help,  and  the  other's  demoniacal  conduct  on  the  steps 
returned  to  me,  and  I  resolved  to  show  no  mercy. 

"  The  occasion  to  which  I  refer,  Monsieur  Pharos," 
I  said,  standing  opposite  him  and  speaking  with  a  stern 
ness  that  in  the  light  of  all  that  has  transpired  since 
seems  almost  ludicrous,  "  was  an  evening  toward  the 
end  of  March — a  cold,  wet  night  when  you  stood  upon 
the  steps  below  Cleopatra's  Needle,  and  not  only  re 
fused  help  to,  but,  in  a  most  inhuman  fashion,  laughed 
at,  a  drowning  man." 

I  half  expected  that  he  would  offer  a  vehement 
denial,  or  would  at  least  put  forward  the  plea  of  for- 
getfulness.  To  my  surprise,  however,  he  did  neither. 

"  I  remember  the  incident  perfectly,"  he  answered, 
with  the  utmost  composure.  "  At  the  same  time,  I 
assure  you,  you  wrong  me  when  you  declare  I  laughed 
— on  my  word,  you  do!  Let  us  suppose,  however,  that 
I  did  do  so;  and  where  is  the  harm?  The  man  desired 
death;  his  own  action  confessed  it,  otherwise  how  came 
he  there?  It  was  proved  at  the  inquest  that  he  had 
repeatedly  declared  himself  weary  of  life.  He  was 
starving;  he  was  without  hope.  Had  he  lived  over  that 
night,  death,  under  any  circumstances,  would  only 
have  been  a  matter  of  a  few  days  with  him.  Would 
you  therefore  have  had  me,  knowing  all  this,  prolong 
such  an  existence?  In  the  name  of  that  humanity  to 
which  you  referred  just  now,  I  ask  you  the  question. 
You  say  I  laughed.  Would  you  have  had  me  weep?  " 

"  A  specious  argument,"  I  replied;  "  but  I  own  to 
you  frankly  I  consider  the  incident  a  detestable  one." 

"  There  I  will  meet  you  most  willingly,"  he  con 
tinued.  "  From  your  point  of  view  it  certainly  was. 
From  mine — well,  as  I  said  just  now,  I  confess  I  view  it 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN".  43 

differently.  However,  I  give  you  my  assurance,  your 
pity  is  undeserved.  The  man  was  -a  contemptible 
scoundrel  in  every  way.  He  came  of  respectable  stock, 
was  reared  under  the  happiest  auspices.  Had  he  chosen 
he  might  have  risen  to  anything  in  his  own  rank  of 
life;  but  he  would  not  choose.  At  fifteen  he  robbed  his 
father's  till  to  indulge  in  debauchery,  and  had  broken 
his  parents'  hearts  before  he  was  five-and-twenty.  He 
married  a  girl  as  good  as  he  was  bad,  and  as  a  result 
starved  not  only  himself  but  his  wife  and  children. 
Though  employment  was  repeatedly  offered  him,  he 
refused  it,  not  from  any  inability  to  work,  but  from 
sheer  distaste  of  labour.  He  had  not  sufficient  wit, 
courage,  or  energy  to  become  a  criminal;  but  through 
out  his  life,  wherever  he  went,  and  upon  all  with  whom 
he  came  in  contact,  he  brought  misery  and  disgrace. 
Eventually  he  reached  the  end  of  his  tether,  and  was 
cast  off  by  every  one.  The  result  you  know." 

The  fluency  and  gusto  with  which  he  related  these 
sordid  details  amazed  me.  I  inquired  how,  since  by  his 
own  confession  he  had  been  such  a  short  time  in  Lon 
don,  he  had  become  cognisant  of  the  man's  history. 
He  hesitated  before  replying. 

"  Have  I  not  told  you  once  before  to-night,"  he 
said,  "that  there  are  very  few  things  in  this  world 
which  are  hidden  from  my  knowledge?  Were  it  neces 
sary,  I  could  tell  you  circumstances  in  your  own  life 
that  you  flatter  yourself  are  known  to  no  one  but  your 
self.  But  do  not  let  us  talk  of  such  things  now.  When 
I  entered  the  room  you  were  reading  a  paper.  You 
hold  it  in  your  hand  at  this  moment." 

"  It  is  a  translation  of  the  inscription  upon  the 
mummy-case  over  yonder,"  I  replied,  with  an  eagerness 
to  change  the  subject  that  provoked  a  smile  in  Pharos. 
"  At  his  death  many  of  his  Egyptian  treasures  came 


44  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

into  my  possession,  this  among  them.  For  some  reason 
or  another  I  had  never  read  the  translation  until  to 
night.  I  suppose  it  must  have  been  my  meeting  with 
you  that  put  the  idea  into  my  head." 

"  I  am  interested  in  such  matters,  as  you  know. 
May  I,  therefore,  be  permitted  to  look  at  it?" 

With  a  parade  of  indifference  that  I  could  easily 
see  was  assumed,  Pharos  had  extended  his  withered  old 
hand  and  taken  it  from  me  before  I  realised  what  he 
was  doing.  Having  obtained  it,  he  leaned  back  in  his 
chair,  and  stared  at  the  paper  as  if  he  could  not  re 
move  his  eyes  from  it.  For  some  moments  not  a  word 
passed  his  lips.  Then,  muttering  something  to  him 
self  in  a  language  I  did  not  recognise,  he  sprang  to 
his  feet.  The  quickness  of  the  action  was  so  different 
from  his  usual  enfeebled  movements  that  I  did  not  fail 
to  notice  it. 

"  The  mummy?  "  he  cried.  "  Show  me  the  mum 
my!  " 

Before  I  could  answer  or  comply  with  his  request, 
he  had  discovered  it  for  himself,  had  crossed  to  it  and 
was  devouring  it  with  his  eyes. 

Upward  of  three  minutes  must  have  elapsed  before 
he  turned  to  me  again.  When  he  did  so,  I  scarcely 
recognised  the  man.  So  distorted  was  his  counte 
nance  that  I  instinctively  recoiled  from  him  in  horror. 

"  Thy  father,  was  it,  wretched  man,"  he  cried,  shak 
ing  his  skeleton  fist  at  me,  while  his  b,ody  trembled  like 
a  leaf  in  the  whirlwind  of  his  passion,  "  who  stole  this 
body  from  its  resting-place?  Thy  father,  was  it,  who 
broke  the  seals  the  gods  had  placed  upon  the  tombs 
of  those  who  were  their  servants?  If  that  be  so,  then 
may  the  punishment  decreed  against  the  sin  of  sacri 
lege  be  visited  upon  thee  and  thine  for  evermore!  " 
Then,  turning  to  the  mummy,  he  continued,  as  if 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  45 

partly  to  it  and  partly  to  himself:  "  Oh,  mighty  Egypt! 
hast  thou  fallen  so  far  from  thy  high*  estate  that  even 
the  bodies  of  thy  kings  and  priests  may  no  longer  rest 
within  their  tombs,  but  are  ravished  from  thee  to  be 
gaped  at  in  alien  lands?  But,  by  Osiris,  a  time  of 
punishment  is  coming.  It  is  decreed,  and  none  shall 
stay  the  sword!  " 

If  I  had  been  surprised  at  the  excitement  he  had 
shown  on  reading  the  paper,  it  was  nothing  to  the 
astonishment  I  felt  now.  For  the  first  time  since  I 
had  known  him,  a  suspicion  of  his  sanity  crossed  my 
mind,  and  my  first  inclination  was  to  draw  away  from 
him.  Then  the  fit,  as  I  deemed  it,  passed,  and  his  ex 
pression  changed  completely.  He  uttered  a  queer  little 
laugh,  that  might  have  been  one  of  shame  or  annoy 
ance. 

"  Once  more  I  must  crave  your  forgiveness,  Mr. 
Forrester,"  he  said,  as  he  sank  exhausted  into  a  chair. 
"  Believe  me,  I  had  not  the  least  intention  of  offend 
ing  you.  Your  father  was,  I  know,  an  ardent  Egyptolo 
gist,  one  of  that  intrepid  band  who  penetrated  to  every 
corner  of  our  sacred  land,  digging,  delving,  and  bring 
ing  to  light  such  tombs,  temples,  and  monuments  as 
have  for  centuries  lain  hidden  from  the  sight  of  man. 
For  my  own  part,  as  you  may  have  gathered  from  my 
tirade  just  now,  my  sympathies  do  not  lie  in  that  direc 
tion.  I  am  one  who  reverences  the  past,  and  would 
fain  have  others  do  so." 

"  At  the  same  time,  I  scarcely  see  that  that  justifies 
such  language  toward  myself  as  you  used  a  few  mo 
ments  since,"  I  replied,  with  a  fair  amount  of  warmth, 
which  I  think  it  will  be  conceded  I  had  every  right  to 
feel. 

"  It  does  not  justify  it  in  the  least,"  he  answered, 
with  ready  condescension.  "  The  only  way  I  can  hope 
4 


46  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

to  do  so  is  on  the  plea  of  the  exuberance  of  my  emotion. 
My  dear  Mr.  Forrester,  I  beg  you  will  not  misunder 
stand  me.  I  would  not  quarrel  with  you  for  the 
wealth  of  England.  Though  you  are  not  aware  of  it, 
there  is  a  bond  between  us  that  is  stronger  than  chains 
of  steel.  You  are  required  for  a  certain  work,  and  for 
that  reason  alone  I  dare  not  offend  you  or  excite  your 
anger,  even  if  I  otherwise  desired  to  do  so.  In  this 
matter  I  am  not  my  own  master." 

"  A  bond  between  us,  Monsieur  Pharos  ?  A  work 
for  which  I  am  required?  I  am  afraid  I  do  not  un 
derstand  what  you  mean." 

"  And  it  is  not  in  my  power  to  enlighten  you.  Re 
main  assured  of  this,  however,  when  the  time  is  ripe 
you  will  be  informed." 

As  he  said  this  the  same  light  that  I  have  described 
before  came  into  his  eyes,  causing  them  to  shine  witli 
an  unnatural  brilliance.  To  use  a  fishing  simile,  it 
made  me  think  of  the  gleam  that  comes  into  the  eyes 
of  a  hungry  pike  as  he  darts  toward  his  helpless  prey. 
Taken  in  conjunction  with  the  extraordinary  language 
he  had  used  toward  me,  I  felt  more  than  ever  con 
vinced  of  his  insanity.  The  thought  was  by  no  means  a 
cheerful  one.  Here  I  was,  alone  with  a  dangerous 
lunatic,  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  and  not  a  soul 
within  call.  How  I  was  to  rid  myself  of  him  I  could  not 
see.  Under  the  circumstances,  therefore,  I  kne\v  that 
I  must  humour  him  until  I  could  hit  upon  a  scheme. 
I  accordingly  tried  to  frame  a  conciliatory  speech,  but 
before  I  could  do  so  he  had  turned  to  me  again. 

"  Your  thoughts  are  easily  read,"  he  began,  with  a 
repetition  of  that  queer  little  laugh  which  I  have  de 
scribed  before;  and  as  he  uttered  it  he  leaned  a  little 
closer  to  me  till  I  was  sick  and  faint  with  the  mere 
horror  of  his  presence.  "  You  think  me  mad,  and  it 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  47 

will  require  more  than  my  assurance  to  make  you  be 
lieve  that  I  am  not.  How  slight  is  your  knowledge  of 
me!  But  there,  let  us  put  that  aside  for  to-night. 
There  is  something  of  much  greater  importance  to  be 
arranged  between  us.  In  the  first  place,  it  is  necessary 
both  for  your  sake — your  safety,  if  you  like — and  for 
mine,  that  yonder  mummy  should  pass  into  my  pos 
session." 

"  Impossible!  "  I  answered.  "  I  could  not  dream  of 
such  a  thing!  It  was  one  of  my  poor  father's  greatest 
treasures,  and  for  that  reason  alone  no  consideration 
would  induce  me  to  part  with  it.  Besides,  despite  your 
assertion  that  it  is  for  our  mutual  safety,  I  can  not  see 
by  what  right  you  ask  such  a  favour  of  me." 

"  If  you  only  knew  how  important  it  is,"  he  re 
peated,  "  that  that  particular  mummy  should  become 
my  property,  you  would  not  know  a  single  minute's 
peace  until  you  had  seen  the  last  of  it.  You  may  not 
believe  me  wh'en  I  say  that  I  have  been  searching  for  it 
without  intermission  for  nearly  fifteen  years,  and  it  was 
only  yesterday  I  learned  you  were  the  owner  of  it.  And 
yet  it  is  the  truth." 

If  I  had  not  had  sufficient  proof  already,  here  was 
enough  to  convince  me  of  his  madness.  By  his  own 
confession,  until  that  evening  he  had  had  no  notion 
of  my  identity,  much  less  of  the  things  I  possessed. 
How,  therefore,  could  he  have  become  aware  that  I  was 
the  owner  of  the  remains  of  Ptahmes,  the  King's  ma 
gician?  Under  the  influence  of  the  momentary  irrita 
tion  caused  by  his  persistence  my  intention  of  humour 
ing  him  quite  slipped  my  memory,  and  I  answered 
sharply  that  it  was  no  use  his  bothering  me  further 
about  the  matter,  as  I  had  made  up  my  mind  and  was 
not  to  be  moved  from  it. 

He  took  my  refusal  with  apparent  coolness;  but 


48  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

the  light  which  still  lingered  in  his  eyes  warned  me, 
before  it  was  too  late,  not  to  rely  too  much  upon  this. 
I  knew  that  in  his  heart  he  was  raging  against  me,  and 
that  any  moment  might  see  his  passion  taking  active 
shape. 

"  You  must  excuse  my  saying  so,  Monsieur  Pharos," 
I  said,  rising  from  my  chair  and  moving  toward  the 
door,  "  but  I  think  it  would  perhaps  be  better  for  both 
of  us  to  terminate  this  most  unpleasant  interview.  It 
is  getting  late  and  I  am  tired.  With  your  permission, 
I  will  open  the  door  for  you." 

Seeing  that  I  was  determined  he  should  go,  and 
realising,  I  suppose,  that  it  was  no  use  his  staying 
longer,  he  also  rose,  and  a  more  evil-looking  figure 
than  he  presented  as  he  did  so  Victor  Hugo  himself 
could  scarcely  have  imagined.  The  light  of  the  quaint 
old  Venetian  hanging-lamp  in  the  middle  of  the  room 
fell  full  and  fair  upon  his  face,  showing  me  the  deep- 
set  gleaming  eyes,  the  wrinkled,  nut-cracker  face,  and 
the  extraordinary  development  of  shoulder  to  which 
I  have  already  directed  attention.  Old  man  as  he  was, 
a  braver  man  than  myself  might  have  been  excused 
had  he  declined  the  task  of  tackling  him,  and  I  had  the 
additional  spur  of  knowing  that  if  he  got  the  better  of 
me  he  would  show  no  mercy.  For  this  reason  alone  I 
watched  his  every  movement. 

"  Come,  come,  my  foolish  young  friend,"  he  said 
at  length,  "  in  spite  of  my  warning,  here  we  are  at  a 
deadlock  again!  You  really  must  not  take  things  so 
seriously.  Had  I  had  any  idea  that  you  were  so  de 
termined  not  to  let  me  have  the  thing,  I  would  not  have 
dreamed  of  asking  for  it.  It  was  for  your  own  good 
as  well  as  mine  that  I  did  so.  Now,  since  you  desire  to 
turn  me  out,  I  will  not  force  my  presence  upon  you. 
But  let  us  part  friends." 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  49 

As  he  said  this  he  advanced  toward  me  with  ex 
tended  hand,  leaning  heavily  upon  his  stick,  according 
to  his  custom,  and  to  all  intents  and  purposes  as  pa 
thetic  an  example  of  senile  decrepitude  as  a  man  could 
wish  to  see.  If  he  were  going  off  like  this,  I  flattered 
myself  I  was  escaping  from  my  horrible  predicament 
in  an  easier  manner  than  I  had  expected.  Nevertheless, 
I  was  fully  determined,  if  I  could  but  once  get  him  on 
the  other  side  of  the  street  door,  no  earthly  considera 
tion  should  induce  me  ever  to  admit  him  to  my  dwell 
ing  again.  His  hand  was  deathly  cold — so  cold,  in  fact, 
that  even  in  my  excitement  I  could  not  help  noticing  it. 
I  had  scarcely  done  so,  however,  before  a  tremor  ran 
through  his  figure  and,  with  a  guttural  noise  that  could 
scarcely  be  described  as  a  cry,  he  dropped  my  hand 
and  sprang  forward  at  my  throat. 

If  I  live  to  be  a  hundred  I  shall  not  forget  the 
absolute,  the  unspeakable,  the  indescribable  terror  of 
that  moment.  Till  then  I  had  never  regarded  myself 
in  the  light  of  a  coward;  on  the  contrary,  I  had  on  sev 
eral  occasions  had  good  reason  to  congratulate  myself 
upon  what  is  popularly  termed  my  "  nerve."  Now, 
however,  it  was  all  different.  Possibly  the  feeling  of 
repulsion,  I  might  almost  say  of  fear,  I  had  hitherto 
entertained  for  him  had  something  to  do  with  it.  It 
may  have  been  the  mesmeric  power,  which  I  afterward 
had  good  reason  to  know  he  possessed,  that  did  it.  At 
any  rate,  from  the  moment  he  pounced  upon  me  I 
found  myself  incapable  of  resistance.  It  was  as  if  all 
my  will  power  were  being  slowly  extracted  from  me  by 
the  mere  contact  of  those  skeleton  fingers  which,  when 
they  had  once  touched  my  flesh,  seemed  to  lose  their  icy 
coldness  and  to  burn  like  red-hot  iron.  In  a  dim  and 
misty  fashion,  somewhat  as  one  sees  people  in  a  fog,  I 
was  conscious  of  the  devilish  ferocity  of  the  counte- 


50  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  ' 

nance  that  was  looking  into  mine.  Then  a  strange  feel 
ing  of  numbness  took  possession  of  me,  an  entire  lack 
of  interest  in  everything,  even  in  life  itself.  Gradually 
and  easily  1  sank  into  the  chair  behind  me,  the  room 
swam  before  my  eyes,  an  intense  craving  for  sleep 
overcame  me,  and  little  by  little,  still  without  any 
attempt  at  resistance,  my  head  fell  back  and  I  lost  con 
sciousness. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

N  I  came  to  myself  again  it  was  already  morn 
ing.  In  a  small  square  behind  the  studio  the  sparrows 
were  discussing  the  prospects  of  breakfast,  though  as 
yet  that  earliest  of  all  birds,  the  milkman,  had  not  be 
gun  to  make  his  presence  known  in  the  streets.  Of  all 
the  hours  of  the  day  there  is  not  one,  to  my  thinking, 
so  lonely  and  so  full  of  dreariness  as  that  which  imme 
diately  precedes  and  ushers  in  the  dawn;  while,  of  all 
the  experiences  of  our  human  life,  there  is,  perhaps,  not 
one  more  unpleasant  than  to  awake  from  sleep  at  such 
an  hour  to  find  that  one  has  passed  the  entire  night  in 
one's  clothes  and  seated  in  a  most  comfortable  arm 
chair.  That  was  my  lot  on  this  occasion.  On  opening 
my  eyes  I  looked  around  me  with  a  puzzled  air.  For  the 
life  of  me  I  could  not  understand  why  I  was  not  in 
my  bed.  It  was  the  first  time  I  had  ever  gone  to 
sleep  in  my  chair,  and  the  knowledge  that  I  had  done 
so  disquieted  me  strangely.  I  studied  the  room,  but,  to 
all  intents  and  purposes,  everything  there  was  just  as 
when  I  had  closed  my  eyes.  I  only  was  changed.  My 
brain  was  as  heavy  as  lead,  and,  though  I  did  my  best 
to  recall  the  events  of  the  previous  evening,  I  found 
that,  while  I  could  recollect  the  "  at  home  "  at  Meden- 
ham  House,  and  my  return  to  my  studio  afterward, 
I  could  remember  nothing  that  followed  later.  I  was 
still  pursuing  this  train  of  thought  when  I  became 
aware  of  a  loud  knocking  at  the  street  door.  I  imme- 

51 


52  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

diately  hastened  to  it  and  drew  the  bolts.  My  feeling 
of  bewilderment  was  increased  rather  than  diminished 
on  discovering  an  inspector  of  police  upon  the  thresh 
old,  with  a  constable  behind  him. 

"  Mr.  Forrester,  I  believe?  "  he  began;  and  as  soon 
as  I  had  answered  in  the  affirmative,  continued:  "  You 
must  excuse  my  disturbing  you,  sir,  at  this  early  hour, 
but  the  reason  is  imperative.  I  should  be  glad  if  you 
would  permit  me  the  honour  of  five  minutes'  conversa 
tion  with  you,  alone." 

"  With  pleasure,"  I  answered,  and  immediately  in 
vited  him  to  enter. 

Having  shut  the  door  behind  him,  I  led  the  way  to 
the  studio,  where  I  signed  him  to  a  chair,  taking  up  a 
position  myself  on  the  hearthrug  before  him.  The 
constable  remained  in  the  passage  outside. 

"  It  is,  as  you  say,  rather  an  early  hour  for  a  call," 
I  remarked,  making  a  mental  note  as  I  spoke  of  the 
man's  character  as  I  read  it  in  his  large,  honest  eyes, 
well-shaped  nose,  and  square,  determined-looking  chin. 
"  What  can  I  do  for  you  ?  " 

"  I  believe  you  are  in  a  position  to  furnish  me  with 
some  important  information,"  he  replied.  "  To  begin 
with,  I  might  inform  you  that  a  diabolical  murder  was 
committed  at  the  old  curiosity  shop  at  the  corner  of 
the  next  street,  either  late  last  night  or  during  the  early 
hours  of  this  morning,  most  probably  between  midnight 
and  one  o'clock.  It  is  altogether  a  most  remarkable 
affair,  and,  from  the  evidence  we  have  before  us,  though 
no  cries  were  heard,  the  struggle  must  have  been  a  des 
perate  one.  From  the  fact  that  the  front  door  was  still 
locked  and  bolted  when  we  forced  our  way  in,  it  is  plain 
that  the  murderer  must  have  effected  his  escape  by  the 
back.  Indeed,  a  man  was  seen  entering  the  alley  be 
hind  the  house  between  one  and  two  o'clock,  though 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  53 

this  circumstance  excited  no  suspicion  at  the  time. 
The  witness  who  saw  him  reports  that  he  came  along 
on  this  side  of  the  street,  in  the  shadow,  and,  though  he 
is  not  at  all  certain  on  this  point,  believes  that  he  en 
tered  one  of  the  houses  hereabouts.  That  on  your  right 
is  empty,  and  the  doors  and  windows  are  securely  fas 
tened.  He  could  not,  therefore,  have  gone  in  there. 
That  on  the  left  is  a  boarding-house.  I  have  called 
upon  the  landlady,  who  asserts  most  positively  that  her 
front  door  was  not  opened  to  any  one  after  ten  o'clock 
last  night.  She  informs  me,  however,  that  a  light  was 
burning  in  your  studio  all  night,  and  I  see  for  myself 
that  you  have  not  been  to  bed.  May  I  ask,  therefore,  if 
you  saw  anything  of  such  a  man,  or  whether  you  can 
furnish  me  with  such  particulars  as  will  be  likely  to 
help  us  in  our  search  for  him." 

Like  lightning,  while  he  was  talking,  the  memory 
of  everything  connected  with  the  visit  Pharos  had  paid 
me  flashed  across  my  mind.  I  glanced  involuntarily 
toward  that  part  of  the  room  where  the  mummy  had 
hitherto  skiod.  To  my  amazement — I  might  almost 
say  to  my  consternation — it  was  no  longer  there.  What 
had  become  of  it?  Could  Pharos,  after  disposing  of  me 
as  he  had  done,  have  stolen  it  and  transported  it  away? 
It  seemed  impossible,  and  yet  I  had  the  best  of  evi 
dence  before  me  that  it  was  no  longer  there.  And  then 
another  question:  had  Pharos  had  any  connection  with 
the  murder?  The  time  at  which  it  was  supposed  to 
have  been  committed,  between  midnight  and  one 
o'clock,  was  precisely  that  at  which  he  had  made  his 
appearance  before  me.  And  yet  what  reason  had  I, 
but  my  own  terrible  suspicions,  to  lead  me  to  the  con 
clusion  that  he  was  the  author  of  this  fiendish  bit  of 
work?  I  saw,  however,  that  my  continued  silence  was 
impressing  the  inspector  unfavourably. 


54  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

"  Come,  sir,"  he  said,  this  time  a  little  more  sharply 
than  before,  "  I  must  remind  you  that  my  time  is  valu 
able.  Am  I  to  understand  that  you  are  in  a  position  to 
help  me,  or  not  ?  " 

God  knows,  if  I  had  been  my  own  master  I  should 
have  instantly  loosed  my  tongue  and  revealed  all  I 
knew.  I  should  have  told  him  under  what  terrible  cir 
cumstances  I  had  met  Pharos  on  the  Embankment  that 
wet  night  night  toward  the  end  of  March,  and  have 
commented  on  his  inhuman  conduct  on  that  occasion. 
I  should  have  informed  him  of  the  appearance  the 
other  had  made  in  my  studio  early  this  morning,  not 
only  with  a  frightened  look  in  his  eyes,  but  breathing 
heavily,  as  though  he  had  been  running,  a  thing  which 
would  have  seemed  impossible  in  a  man  of  his  years. 
Then  I  should  have  gone  on  to  tell  how  he  had  at 
tempted  to  induce  me  to  part  with  something  upon 
which  I  placed  considerable  value,  and,  being  disap 
pointed,  had  hypnotised  me  and  made  off  with  the 
article  in  question.  All  this,  as  I  say,  I  should  have 
narrated  had  I  been  my  own  master.  But  God  knows 
I  was  not.  An  irresistible  force  was  at  work  within 
me,  compelling  me,  even  against  my  will,  to  screen 
him,  and  to  tell  the  first  deliberate  lie  to  which,  I  think, 
I  had  ever  given  utterance  in  my  life. 

It  is  a  poor  excuse  to  offer,  and  I  am  aware  that  a 
world  so  censorious  as  our  own  will  not,  in  all  probabil 
ity,  believed  this  statement,  but  upon  my  hopes  of  for 
giveness  at  the  Last  Great  Day,  at  that  dread  moment 
when  the  sins  of  all  men  shall  be  judged  and  punish 
ment  awarded,  I  declare  it  to  be  true  in  every  single 
particular:  and  what  is  more,  I  further  say  that  even 
if  my  life  depended  on  it  I  could  not  have  done  other 
wise. 

Though  it  has  taken  some  time  to   place   these 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  55 

thoughts  on  paper,  the  interval  that,  elapsed  between 
the  inspector's  last  question  and  my  answer,  which 
seemed  to  me  so  halting  and  suspicious,  to  the  effect 
that  I  had  neither  seen  nor  heard  anything  of  the  man 
he  wanted,  was  scarcely  more  than  a  few  seconds. 

Having  received  my  assurance,  the  officer  apolo 
gised  for  troubling  me  and  withdrew,  and  I  was  left 
alone  with  my  thoughts.  Deep  down  in  my  heart  there 
was  the  desire  to  hasten  after  him  and  to  tell  him 
that  not  only  I  had  lied  to  him,  but  that  it  was  pos 
sible  for  me  to  make  amends  by  putting  him  on  the 
track  of  the  man  who,  I  felt  morally  certain,  was  the 
criminal.  The  wish,  however,  was  scarcely  born  before 
it  was  dragged  down  and  stifled  by  that  same  irresistible 
force  I  have  described  a  few  lines  since.  It  seemed  to 
me  I  was  bound  hand  and  foot,  powerless  to  help  my 
self  and  incapable  of  doing  aught  save  carry  out  the 
will  of  the  remorseless  being  into  whose  power  I  had 
fallen  so  completely.  But  had  I  really  so  fallen? 
Could  it  be  possible  that  such  power  was  permitted  to 
a  human  being?  No,  no — a  thousand  times  no!  If 
he  had  that  influence  he  must  be  an  agent  of  the  Evil 
One,  whose  mission  it  was  to  draw  to  perdition  the 
souls  of  helpless  men.  Filled  with  shame,  I  sank  into 
a  chair  and  covered  my  face  with  my  hands,  as  if  by  so 
doing  I  could  shut  out  the  horrible  thoughts  that 
filled  my  brain.  Could  it  be  true  that  I,  who  had 
always  regarded  a  liar  as  the  most  despicable  of  men, 
had  sunk  so  low  as  to  become  one  myself?  God  help 
me!  God  pity  me!  Of  all  the  bitter  hours  my  life  has 
known,  I  think  that  moment  was  the  worst. 

For  some  time  after  the  inspector  had  taken  his 
departure  I  sat,  as  I  have  said,  my  face  covered  with 
my  hands,  trying  to  think  coherently.  Twenty-four 
hours  before  I  had  been  one  of  the  happiest  men  in 


56  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

England.  Nothing  had  troubled  me.  I  had  lived  for 
my  art  and  in  my  art,  and  I  believe  I  can  confidently 
say  that  I  had  not  an  enemy  in  the  world.  Now,  in  a 
single  hour,  my  whole  life  was  changed.  I  had  been 
drawn  into  the  toils  of  a  fiend  in  human  shape  and  I 
was  paying  the  awful  penalty. 

Hour  after  hour  went  by.  My  servant  arrived  and 
presently  brought  in  my  breakfast,  but  I  put  it  aside; 
I  had  too  much  upon  my  mind  to  eat.  It  was  in  vain  I 
tried  to  force  myself.  My  food  stuck  in  my  throat  and 
defied  me.  And  all  the  time  I  was  oppressed  by  the 
diabolical  picture  of  that  murder.  The  shop  in  which 
it  had  occurred  was  one  with  which  I  was  familiar.  In 
my  mind's  eye  I  saw  the  whole  scene  as  clearly  as  if 
I  had  been  present  at  the  time.  I  saw  the  shop,  filled 
to  overflowing  with  bric-a-brac,  the  light  of  the  single 
gas-lamp  reflected  in  a  hundred  varieties  of  brass  and 
pottery  work.  At  a  desk  in  the  corner  sat  the  dealer 
himself,  and  before  him,  holding  him  in  earnest  con 
versation,  the  extraordinary  figure  of  Pharos  the 
Assassin.  How  he  came  to  be  there  at  such  an  hour 
I  could  not  tell,  but  from  what  I  knew  of  him 
I  was  convinced  it  was  with  no  good  purpose.  I 
could  imagine  how  off  his  guard  and  totally  unprepared 
for  attack  the  other  would  be;  and,  even  if  he  had 
entertained  any  suspicions,  it  is  extremely  doubtful 
whether  he  would  have  credited  this  deformed  atom 
with  the  possession,  either  of  such  malignity  or  of 
such  giant  strength.  Then  that  same  cruel  light  that 
had  exercised  such  an  influence  upon  me  a  few  hours 
before  began  to  glisten  in  the  murderer's  eyes.  Little 
by  little  he  moved  his  right  hand  behind  him  until  it 
touched  an  Oriental  dagger  lying  on  a  table  beside 
which  he  stood.  Then,  with  that  cat-like  spring  which 
I  had  good  reason  to  remember,  he  leaped  upon  his 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  57 

opponent  and  seized  him  by  the  throat,  driving  the 
blade  deep  in  below  the  shoulder.  His  victim,  para 
lyzed  with  surprise,  at  first  offered  no  resistance.  Then, 
with  the  instinct  of  self-preservation,  he  began  to 
struggle  with  his  devilish  opponent,  onjy  to  discover 
the  strength  that  seemingly  attenuated  form  possessed. 
Little  by  little  his  power  departed  from  him,  and  at 
last,  with  a  crash,  he  fell  back  upon  the  floor.  I  pic 
tured  Pharos  stooping  over  him  to  see  if  he  were  dead, 
chuckling  with  delight  at  the  success  he  had  achieved. 
When  he  had  convinced  himself  on  this  head,  he  ab 
stracted  a  key  from  the  dead  man's  pocket  and  ap 
proached  a  safe,  built  into  the  wall.  The  handle  turned 
and  the  door  swung  open.  A  moment  later  he  had 
taken  a  ring  set  with  a  scarabasus  from  a  drawer  and 
dropped  it  into  his  pocket.  After  that  he  paused  while 
he  considered  in  which  direction  it  would  be  safest  for 
him  to  make  his  escape.  A  policeman's  step  sounded 
on  the  pavement  outside,  and  as  he  heard  it  he  looked 
up,  and  his  thin  lips  drew  back,  showing  the  wolfish 
teeth  behind.  His  horrible  cunning  pointed  out  to 
him  the  danger  he  would  incur  in  leaving  by  the  front. 
Accordingly  he  made  his  way  through  the  sitting-room 
behind  the  shop  and  passed  out  by  the  gate  in  the  yard 
beyond.  A  few  seconds  later  he  was  in  my  presence, 
but  whether  by  accident  or  design  was  more  than  I 
could  say. 

So  vivid  was  the  picture  I  had  conjured  up  that  I 
could  not  help  believing  it  must  be  something  more 
than  mere  conjecture  on  my  part.  If  so,  what  course 
should  I  pursue?  I  had  been  robbed.  I  had  given  a 
murderer  shelter  at  the  very  moment  when  he  stood 
most  in  need  of  it,  and,  when  the  law  was  close  upon 
his  heels,  I  had  pledged  my  word  for  his  innocence  and 
perjured  myself  to  ensure  his  salvation.  His  presence 


58  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

had  been  repulsive  to  me  ever  since  I  had  first  set  eyes 
on  him.  I  hated  the  man  as  I  had  hitherto  deemed  it 
impossible  I  could  hate  any  one.  Yet,  despite  all  this, 
by  some  power — how  real  I  can  not  expect  any  one  to 
believe — he  w,as  compelling  me  to  shield  and  behave 
toward  him  as  if  he  had  been  my  brother,  or  at  least  my 
dearest  friend.  I  can  feel  the  shame  of  that  moment 
even  now,  the  agonising  knowledge  of  the  gulf  that 
separated  me  from  the  man  I  was  yesterday,  or  even 
an  hour  before. 

I  rose  from  the  table,  leaving  my  breakfast  un 
touched,  and  stood  at  the  window  looking  out  upon  the 
dismal  square  beyond.  The  sunshine  of  the  earlier 
morning  had  given  place  to  a  cloudy  sky,  and,  as  I 
watched,  a  heavy  shower  began  to  fall.  It  was  as  if 
Nature  were  weeping  tears  of  shame  to  see  a  Child  of 
Man  brought  so  low.  I  went  to  the  place  where,  until 
a  few  hours  before,  the  mummy  had  stood — that 
wretched  mummy  which  had  been  the  cause  of  all  the 
trouble.  As  I  had  good  reason  to  know,  it  weighed  a 
considerable  amount,  more,  indeed,  than  I  should  have 
imagined  an  old  man  like  Pharos  could  have  lifted, 
much  less  carried.  I  examined  the  floor,  to  see  if  the 
case  had  been  dragged  across  it,  but,  highly  polished 
as  the  boards  were,  I  could  detect  no  sign  of  such  a 
thing  having  taken  place.  The  wainscoting  of  the  hall 
next  received  my  attention,  but  with  a  similar  result. 
And  it  was  at  this  juncture  that  another  curious  point 
in  the  evening's  story  struck  me.  AVhen  I  had  ad 
mitted  the  inspector  of  police,  I  had  unlocked  and  un 
chained  the  door.  I  was  the  sole  occupant  of  the  build 
ing.  How,  therefore,  had  Pharos  conveyed  his  burden 
outside,  and  locked,  chained,  and  bolted  the  door  be 
hind  him?  Under  the  influence  of  this  discovery  I 
returned  with  all  speed  to  the  studio.  Perhaps  he  had 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  59 

not  gone  out  by  the  front  door  at  all,  but  had  made 
his  escape  by  the  windows  at  the  back.  These  I  care 
fully  examined,  only  to  find  them  safely  bolted  as 
usual.  The  riddle  was  beyond  me.  I  had  to  confess 
myself  beaten.  Was  it  possible  I  could  have  dreamed 
the  whole  thing?  Had  I  fallen  asleep  in  my  chair  and 
imagined  a  meeting  with  Pharos  which  had  really  never 
taken  place?  Oh,  if  only  it  could  be  true,  what  a 
difference  it  would  make  in  my  happiness!  And  yet, 
staring  me  in  the  face,  was  the  damning  fact  that  the 
mummy  was  gone.  When  I  rose  from  my  chair  my 
mind  was  made  up.  I  would  seek  Pharos  out,  accus'e 
him  not  only  of  the  theft,  but  of  the  murder,  and  make 
him  understand,  with  all  the  earnestness  of  which  1  was 
master,  that  justice  should  be  done,  and  that  I  would 
no  longer  shield  him  from  the  consequences  of  his 
villainy.  It  was  only  then  I  remembered  that  I  had 
no  knowledge  of  the  man's  whereabouts.  I  considered 
for  a  moment  how  I  could  best  overcome  this  difficulty. 
Lady  Medenham  was,  of  course,  the  one  person  of  all 
others  to  help  me.  Since  she  had  invited  the  man  to 
her  house,  it  was  almost  certain  that  she  would  be  able 
to  furnish  me  with  his  address.  I  would  go  to  her  with 
out  further  waste  of  time.  Accordingly  I  made  the 
necessary  changes  in  my  toilet  and  left  the  studio. 
The  rain  had  ceased  and  the  streets  were  once  more 
full  of  sunshine.  It  was  a  pleasant  morning  for  walk 
ing,  but  so  urgent  did  my  business  seem  that  I  felt 
I  could  not  even  spare  the  time  for  exercise.  Hailing 
a  hansom,  I  bade  the  man  drive  me  with  all  possible 
speed  to  Eaton  Square.  To  my  delight  Lady  Meden 
ham  was  at  home,  and  I  was  shown  forthwith  to  her 
boudoir.  A  few  moments  elapsed  before  she  joined  me 
there,  and  then  her  first  remark  was  one  of  astonish 
ment. 


60  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

"  Why,  Mr.  Forrester,  what  is  the  matter  with 
you?  "  she  cried.  "  I  have  never  seen  you  look  so  ill." 

"  It  is  nothing,"  I  answered,  with  a  forced  laugh. 
"  I  have  had  some  had  news  this  morning,  and  it  has 
upset  me.  Lady  Medenham,  I  have  come  to  beg  a 
favour  at  your  hands." 

"  If  it  is  within  my  power,  you  know  it  is  already 
granted,"  she  said  kindly.  "  Won't  you  sit  down  and 
tell  me  what  it  is?" 

"  I  want  you  to  furnish  me  with  the  address  of 
that  singular  old  gentleman  who  was  at  your  '  at 
home  '  last  evening."  I  replied,  as  I  seated  myself  oppo- 
.site  her. 

"  London  would  say  that  there  were  many  singular 
old  gentlemen  at  my  '  at  home/  "  she  answered  with 
a  smile;  "  but  my  instinct  tells  me  you  mean  Monsieur 
Pharos." 

"  That,  I  believe,  is  his  name,"  I  said,  and  then, 
as  if  to  excuse  the  question,  I  added,  "  he  is,  as  I  think 
you  heard  him  say,  an  ardent  Egyptologist." 

"  I  do  not  know  anything  about  his  attainments 
in  that  direction,"  Lady  Medenham  replied,  "  but  he  is 
certainly  a  most  extraordinary  person.  Were  it  not 
for  his  beautiful  ward,  whose  case  I  must  confess  ex 
cites  my  pity,  I  should  not  care  if  I  never  saw  him 
again." 

"  She  is  his  ward,  then?  "  I  said,  with  an  eagerness 
that  I  could  see  was  not  lost  upon  my  companion.  "  I 
had  made  up  my  mind  she  was  his  granddaughter." 

"  Indeed,  no,"  Lady  Medenham  replied.  "  The 
poor  girl's  story  is  a  very  strange  and  sad  one.  Her 
father  was  a  Hungarian  noble,  a  brilliant  man  in  his 
way,  I  believe,  but  a  confirmed  spendthrift.  Her 
mother  died  when  she  was  but  six  years  old.  From  a 
very  early  age  she  gave  signs  of  possessing  extraordi- 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  61 

nary  musical  talent,  and  this  her  father,  perhaps  with 
some  strange  prevision  of  the  future,  fostered  with 
every  care.  When  she  was  barely  fifteen  he  was  killed 
in  a  duel.  It  was  then  discovered  that  his  money  was 
exhausted  and  that  the  home  was  mortgaged  beyond  all 
redemption  to  the  Jews.  Thus  the  daughter,  now 
without  relations  or  friends  of  any  sort  or  description, 
was  thrown  upon  the  world  to  sink  or  swim  just  as  Fate 
should  decree.  For  any  girl  the  position  would  have 
been  sufficiently  unhappy,  but  for  her,  who  had  seen 
nothing  of  life,  and  who  was  of  an  extremely  sensitive 
disposition,  it  was  well-nigh  insupportable.  What  her 
existence  must  have  been  like  for  the  next  five  years 
one  scarcely  likes  to  think.  But  it  served  its  purpose. 
With  a  bravery  that  excites  one's  admiration  she  sup 
ported  herself  almost  entirely  by  her  music;  gaining 
in  breadth,  power,  and  knowledge  of  technique  with 
every  year.  Then — where,  or  in  what  manner  I  have 
never  been  able  to  discover,  for  she  is  peculiarly  sensi 
tive  upon  this  point — she  became  acquainted  with  the 
old  gentleman  you  saw  last  night,  Monsieur  Pharos. 
He  was  rich,  eccentric,  and  perhaps  what  most  at 
tracted  her,  passionately  fond  of  music.  His  extreme 
age  obviated  any  scandal,  even  had  there  been  any  one 
to  raise  it,  so  that  when  he  proposed  to  adopt  the  friend 
less  but  beautiful  girl,  and  to  enable  her  to  perfect  her 
musical  education  under  the  best  masters,  no  one  came 
forward  to  protest  against  it.  She  has,  I  believe,  been 
with  him  upward  of  seven  years  now." 

I  shuddered  when  I  heard  this.  Knowing  what  I 
did  of  Pharos  I  could  not  find  it  in  my  heart  to  credit 
him  with  the  possession  of  so  much  kindly  feeling. 
But  if  it  were  not  so,  what  could  the  bond  between 
them  be? 

"  What  you  tell  me  is  extremely  interesting,"  I  re- 
5 


62  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

marked,  "  and  only  adds  to  my  desire  to  see  the  old 
gentleman  once  more.  If  you  could  let  me  have  his 
address  I  should  be  more  grateful  than  I  can  say." 

"  I  am  very  much  afraid  it  is  not  in  my  power,"  she 
replied.  "  It  is  one  of  the  least  of  Monsieur  Pharos's 
many  peculiarities  to  take  extraordinary  precautions  to 
prevent  his  whereabouts  becoming  known;  but  stay,  I 
think  I  can  tell  you  of  some  one  who  may  be  of  more 
service  to  you.  You  know  Sir  George-  Legrath,  do 
you  not  ?  " 

"  The  Director  of  the  Egyptian  Museum?  "  I  said. 
"  Yes,  I  know  him  very  well  indeed.  lie  was  an  old 
friend  of  my  father  s." 

"  To  be  sure  he  was,"  she  answered.  "  Well,  then, 
go  and  see  him.  I  think  it  is  probable  that  he  may 
be  able  to  assist  you.  Monsieur  Pharos  is  an  acquaint 
ance  of  his,  and  it  was  to  Sir  George's  care  that  I 
sent  the  invitation  to  my  '  at  home '  last  night." 

"  I  can  not  thank  you  enough  for  your  kindness, 
Lady  Medenham,"  I  replied,  as  I  rose  from  my  chair. 
"  I  will  go  and  see  Sir  George  at  once." 

"  And  I  hope  you  may  be  successful.  If  I  can  help 
you  in  any  other  way  be  sure  I  will  do  so.  But  before 
you  go,  Mr.  Forrester,  let  me  give  you  another  piece 
of  advice.  You  should  really  consult  a  doctor  without 
delay.  I  do  not  like  your  appearance  at  all.  We  shall 
hear  of  your  being  seriously  ill  if  you  do  not  take  more 
care  of  yourself." 

I  laughed  uneasily.  In  my  own  heart  I  knew  my 
ailment  was  not  of  the  body  but  of  the  mind,  and  until 
my  suspicions  concerning  Pharos  were  set  at  rest  it 
was  beyond  the  reach  of  any  doctor's  science  to  do  me 
good.  Once  more  I  thanked  Lady  Medenham  for  her 
kindness,  and  then  left  her  and  made  my  way  back  to 
the  cab. 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  63 

"  To  the  Egyptian  Museum/'  I  cried  to  the  driver, 
as  I  took  my  seat  in  the  vehicle,  "  and  as  quickly  as 
you  can  go! " 

The  man  whipped  up  his  horse,  and  in  less  than 
ten  minutes  from  the  time  the  butler  closed  the  front 
door  upon  me  at  Medenham  House  I  was  entering  the 
stately  portico  of  the  world-famous  Museum.  For 
some  years  I  had  been  a  constant  visitor  there,  and  as 
a  result  was  well  known  to  the  majority  of  the  officials. 
I  inquired  from  one,  whom  I  met  in  the  vestibule, 
whether  I  should  find  Sir  George  in  his  office. 

"  I  am  not  quite  certain,  sir,"  the  man  replied. 
"  It's  only  just  gone  half  past  ten,  and  unless  there  is 
something  important  doing,  we  don't  often  see  him 
much  before  a  quarter  to  eleven.  However,  if  you  will 
be  kind  enough,  sir,  to  step  this  way,  I'll  very  soon 
find  out." 

So  saying  he  led  me  along  the  corridor,  past  huge 
monuments  and  blocks  of  statuary,  to  a  smaller  passage 
on  the  extreme  left  of  the  building.  At  the  farther  end 
of  this  was  a  door,  upon  which  he  knocked.  No  answer 
rewarded  him. 

"  I  am  very  much  afraid,  sir,  he  has  not  arrived," 
remarked  the  man,  "  but  perhaps  you  will  be  good 
enough  to  step  inside  and  take  a  seat.  I  feel  sure  he 
won't  be  very  long." 

"  In  that  case  I  think  I  will  do  so,"  I  replied,  and 
accordingly  I  was  ushered  into  what  is  perhaps  the 
most  characteristic  office  in  London.  Having  found 
the  morning  paper  and  with  unconscious  irony  placed 
it  before  me,  the  man  withdrew,  closing  the  door  be 
hind  him. 

I  have  said  that  the  room  in  which  I  was  now  seated 
was  characteristic  of  the  man  who  occupied  it.  Sir 
George  Legrath  is,  as  every  one  knows,  the  most  com- 


64  PHAROS,  THE   EGYPTIAN. 

petent  authority  the  world  possesses  at  the  present  time 
on  the  subject  of  ancient  Egypt.  He  had  graduated 
under  my  own  poor  father,  and,  if  only  for  this  reason, 
we  had  always  been  the  closest  friends.  It  follows  as 
a  natural  sequence  that  the  walls  of  the  room  should  be 
covered  from  ceiling  to  floor  with  paintings,  engrav 
ings,  specimens  of  papyrus,  and  the  various  odds  and 
ends  accumulated  in  an  Egyptologist's  career.  He  had 
also  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  best-dressed  men 
in  London,  and  was  at  all  times  careful  to  a  degree  of 
his  appearance.  This  accounted  for  the  velvet  office- 
coat,  a  sleeve  of  which  I  could  just  see  peeping  out 
from  behind  a  curtain  in  the  corner.  Kindly  of  heart 
and  the  possessor  of  a  comfortable  income,  it  is  certain 
that  but  few  of  those  in  need  who  applied  to  him  did  so 
in  vain;  hence  the  pile  of  begging  letters  from  chari 
table  institutions  and  private  individuals  that  invari 
ably  greeted  his  arrival  at  his  office.  I  had  not  been 
waiting  more  than  five  minutes  before  I  heard  an 
active  step  upon  the  stone  flagging  of  the  passage  out 
side.  The  handle  of  the  door  was  sharply  turned,  and 
the  man  for  whom  I  was  waiting  entered  the  room. 

"  My  dear  Cyril,"  he  cried,  advancing  toward  me 
with  outstretched  hand,  "  this  is  indeed  a  pleasure!  It 
is  now  some  weeks  since  I  last  saw  you,  but,  on  the 
other  hand,  I  have  heard  of  you.  The  fame  of  your 
picture  is  in  every  one's  mouth." 

"  Every  one  is  very  kind."  I  replied,  "  but  I  am 
afraid  in  this  instance  the  public  says  rather  more  than 
it  means." 

"  Xot  a  bit  of  it,"  answered  my  friend.  "  That  re 
minds  me,  however,  that  there  is  one  point  in  the  pic 
ture  about  which  I  want  to  talk  to  you." 

"  At  any  other  time  I  shall  be  delighted,"  I  replied, 
"  but  to-day,  Sir  George,  I  have  something  else  to  say 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  65 

to  you.  I  have  come  to  you  because  I  am  very  much 
worried/' 

"  Now  that  I  look  at  you  I  can  see  you  are  not  quite 
the  thing,"  he  said.  "But  what  is  this  worry?  Tell 
me  about  it,  for  you  know  if  I  can  help  you  I  shall  be 
only  too  glad  to  do  so." 

"  I  have  come  to  seek  your  advice  in  a  rather 
strange  matter,"  I  replied,  "  and  before  I  begin  I  must 
ask  that  everything  I  say  shall  remain  in  the  strictest 
confidence  between  us." 

"  I  will  give  you  that  promise  willingly,"  he  said, 
"  and  I  think  you  know  me  well  enough  to  feel  certain 
I  shall  keep  it.  Now  let  me  hear  your  troubles." 

"  In  the  first  place  I  want  you  to  tell  me  all  you 
know  of  an  extraordinary  individual  who  has  been  seen 
a  good  deal  in  London  society  of  late.  I  refer  to  a  man 
named  Pharos." 

While  I  had  been  speaking  Sir  George  had  seated 
himself  in  the  chair  before  his  writing-table  On  hear 
ing  my  question,  however,  he  sprang  to  his  feet  with 
an  exclamation  that  was  as  startling  as  it  was  unex 
pected.  It  did  not  exactly  indicate  surprise,  nor  did  it 
express  annoyance  or  curiosity;  yet  it  seemed  to  par 
take  of  all  three.  It  was  his  face,  however,  that  be 
trayed  the  greatest  change.  A  moment  before  it  had 
exhibited  the  ruddiness  of  perfect  health,  now  it  was 
ashen  pale. 

"Pharos?"  he  cried.  Then,  recovering  his  com 
posure  a  little,  he  added,  "  My  dear  Forrester,  what 
can  you  possibly  want  with  him  ?  " 

"  I  want  to  know  all  you  can  tell  me  about  him," 
I  replied  gravely.  "  It  is  the  greatest  favour  I  have 
ever  asked  of  you,  and  I  hope  you  will  not  disappoint 
me." 

For  some  moments  he  paced  the  room  as  if  in  anx- 


66  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

ious  thought.  Then  he  returned  to  his  seat  at  the 
writing-table.  The  long  hand  of  the  clock  upon  the 
mantelpiece  had  made  a  perceptible  movement  when 
he  spoke  again.  So  changed  was  his  voice,  however, 
that  I  scarcely  recognised  it. 

"  Cyril,"  he  said,  "  you  have  asked  me  a  question 
to  which  I  can  return  you  but  one  answer,  and  that  is 
— may  God  help  you  if  you  have  fallen  into  that  man's 
power!  What  he  has  done  or  how  he  has  treated  you 
I  do  not  know,  but  I  tell  you  this,  that  he  is  as  cruel 
and  as  remorseless  as  Satan  himself.  You  are  my 
friend,  and  I  tell  you  I  would  far  rather  see  you  dead 
than  in  his  clutches.  I  do  not  fear  many  men,  but 
Pharos  the  Egyptian  is  to  me  an  incarnate  terror." 

"  You  say  Pharos  the  Egyptian.  What  do  you 
mean  by  that?  " 

"  What  I  say.  The  man  is  an  Egyptian,  and  claims, 
I  believe,  to  be  able  to  trace  his  descent  back  at  least 
three  thousand  years." 

"  And  you  know  no  more  of  him?  " 

As  I  put  the  question  I  looked  at  Sir  George's  hand, 
which  rested  on  his  blotting-pad,  and  noticed  that  it 
was  shaking  as  if  with  the  palsy. 

Once  more  a  pause  ensued. 

"  What  I  know  must  remain  shut  up  in  my  own 
brain,"  he  answered  slowly  and  as  if  he.  were  weighing 
every  word  before  he  uttered  it;  "  and  it  will  go  down 
to  my  grave  with  me.  Dear  lad,  fond  as  I  am  of  you, 
you  must  not  ask  any  more  of  me,  for  I  can  not  satisfy 
your  curiosity." 

"  But,  Sir  George,  I  assure  you,  with  all  the  earnest 
ness  at  my  command,  that  this  is  a  matter  of  life  and 
death  to  me,"  I  replied.  "  You  can  have  no  notion 
what  it  means.  My  honour,  my  good  name — nay,  my 
very  existence  itself — depends  upon  it." 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  67 

As  if  in  answer  to  my  importunity,  my  friend  rose 
from  his  chair  and  picked  up  the  newspaper  which  the 
attendant  had  placed  on  the  table  beside  me.  He 
opened  it,  and,  after  scanning  the  pages,  discovered 
what  he  was  looking  for.  Folding  it  carefully,  he 
pointed  to  a  certain  column  and  handed  it  to  me.  I 
took  it  mechanically  and  glanced  at  the  item  in  ques 
tion.  It  was  an  account  of  the  murder  of  the  unfor 
tunate  curiosity  dealer,  but,  so  far  as  I  could  see,  my 
name  was  not  mentioned.  I  looked  up  at  Sir  George 
for  an  explanation. 

"  Well?  "  I  said,  but  the  word  stuck  in  my  throat. 

"  Though  you  will  scarcely  credit  it,  I  think  I 
understand  everything,"  he  replied.  "  The  murdered 
man's  shop  was  within  a  short  distance  of  your  abode. 
A  witness  states  that  he  saw  some  one  leave  the  victim's 
house  about  the  time  the  deed  must  have  been  com 
mitted  and  that  he  made  his  way  into  your  street.  As 
I  said,  when  you  first  asked  me  about  him,  may  God 
help  you,  Cyril  Forrester,  if  this  is  your  trouble!  " 

"  But  what  makes  you  connect  Pharos  with  the 
murder  described  here?"  I  asked,  feigning  a  surprise 
I  was  far  from  feeling. 

"  That  I  can  not  tell  you,"  he  replied.  "  To  do  so 

would  bring  upon  me But  no,  my  lips  are  sealed, 

hopelessly  sealed." 

"  But  surely  you  are  in  a  position  to  give  me  that 
man's  address?  Lady  Medenham  told  me  you  were 
aware  of  it." 

"  It  is  true  I  was,  but  I  am  afraid  you  have  come 
too  late." 

"  Too  late!  What  do  you  mean?  Oh,  Sir  George, 
for  Heaven's  sake  do  not  trifle  with  me!  " 

"  I  am  not  trifling  with  you,  Forrester,"  he  replied 
seriously.  "  I  mean  that  it  is  impossible  for  you  to 


68  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

find  him  in  London,  for  the  simple  reason  that  he  left 
England  with  his  companion  early  this  morning." 

On  hearing  this  I  must  have  looked  so  miserable 
that  Sir  George  came  over  to  where  I  sat  and  placed 
his  hand  upon  my  shoulder. 

"  Dear  lad,"  he  said,  "  you  don't  know  how  it  pains 
me  to  be  unable  to  help  you.  If  it  were  possible,  you 
have  every  reason  to  know  that  I  would  do  so.  In  this 
case,  however,  I  am  powerless,  how  powerless  you  can 
not  imagine.  But  you  must  not  give  way  like  this. 
The  man  is  gone,  and  in  all  human  probability  you  will 
never  see  his  face  again.  Try  to  forget  him." 

"  It  is  impossible.  I  assure  you,  upon  my  word  of 
honour,  that  I  shall  know  neither  peace  nor  happiness 
until  I  have  seen  him  and  spoken  to  him  face  to  face. 
If  I  wish  ever  to  be  able  to  look  upon  myself  as  an 
honourable  man  I  must  do  so.  Is  there  no  way  in 
which  I  can  find  him?  " 

"  I  fear  none;  but  stay,  now  I  come  to  think  of  it, 
there  is  a  chance,  but  a  very  remote  one.  I  will  make 
inquiries  about  it  and  let  you  know  within  an  hour." 

"  God  bless  you!  I  will  remain  in  my  studio  until 
your  messenger  arrives." 

I  bade  him  bood-bye  and  left  the  Museum.  That 
he  did  not  forget  his  promise  was  proved  by  the  fact 
that  within  an  hour  a  cab  drove  up  to  my  door  and 
one  of  the  attendants  from  the  Museum  alighted.  I 
took  in  the  note  he  brought  with  him  at  the  door,  and, 
when  I  had  returned  to  the  studio,  tore  open  the  en 
velope  and  drew  forth  a  plain  visiting  card.  On  it  was 
written: 

"  Inquire  for  the  man  you  seek  from 

CARLO  ANGELOTTI, 

Public  Letter-writer, 

In  the  arches  of  the  Theatre  San  Carlo,  Naples." 


CHAPTEE  V. 

IF  there  is  one  place  more  than  another  for  which 
I  entertain  a  dislike  that  is  akin  to  hatred,  it  is  for 
Naples  in  the  summer  time — that  wretched  period 
when  every  one  one  knows  is  absent,  all  the  large 
houses  are  closed,  the  roads  are  knee-deep  in  dust,  and 
even  the  noise  of  the  waves  breaking  upon  the  walls  of 
the  Castello  del'  Ovo  seems  unable  to  alleviate  the  im 
pression  of  heat  and  dry  ness  which  pervades  everything. 
It  is  the  season  when  the  hotels,  usually  so  cool — one 
might  almost  say  frigid — have  had  time  to  grow  hot 
throughout,  and  are  in  consequence  well-nigh  unbear 
able;  when  the  particular  waiter  who  has  attended  to 
your  wants  during  each  preceding  visit,  and  who  has 
come  to  know  your  customs  and  to  have  survived  his 
original  impression  that  each  successive  act  on  your 
part  is  only  a  more  glaring  proof  of  your  insular  bar 
barity,  is  visiting  his  friends  in  the  country,  or  what 
ever  it  is  that  waiters  do  during  the  dull  season  when 
the  tourists  have  departed  and  their  employers  have  no 
further  use  for  them.  It  was  at  this  miserable  period 
of  the  year  that  I  descended  upon  Naples  in  search 
of  Monsieur  Pharos. 

Owing  to  a  breakdown  on  the  line  between  Spezia 
and  Pisa,  it  was  close  upon  midnight  before  I  reached 
my  destination,  and  almost  one  o'clock  before  I  had 
transported  my  luggage  from  the  railway  station  to  my 
hotel.  By  this  time,  as  will  be  readily  understood  by 

69 


70  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

all  those  who  have  made  the  overland  journey,  I  was 
in  a  condition  bordering  upon  madness.  Ever  since  I 
had  called  upon  Sir  George  Legrath,  and  had  obtained 
from  him  the  address  of  the  man  from  whom  I  hoped 
to  learn  the  whereabouts  of  Pharos,  I  had  been  living 
in  a  kind  of  stupor.  It  took  the  form  of  a  drowsiness 
that  nothing  would  shake  off,  and  yet,  do  what  I  would, 
I  could  not  sleep.  Times  out  of  number  during  that 
long  journey  I  had  laid  myself  back  in  the  railway 
carriage  and  closed  my  eyes  in  the  hope  of  obtaining 
some  rest;  but  it  was  in  vain.  However  artfully  I 
might  woo  the  drowsy  god,  sleep  would  not  visit  my 
eyelids.  The  mocking  face  of  the  man  I  had  come  to 
consider  my  evil  angel  was  always  before  me,  and  in 
the  darkness  of  the  night,  when  the  train  was  rolling 
southward,  I  could  hear  his  voice  in  my  ears  telling  me 
that  this  hastily-conceived  journey  on  my  part  had 
been  all  carefully  thought  out  and  arranged  by  him 
beforehand,  and  that  in  seeking  him  in  Naples  I  was 
only  advancing  another  step  toward  the  fulfilment  of 
my  destiny. 

On  reaching  my  hotel  I  went  straight  to  bed. 
Every  bone  in  my  body  ached  with  fatigue.  Indeed, 
so  weary  was  I  that  I  could  eat  nothing  and  could 
scarcely  think  coherently.  The  proprietor  of  the  hotel 
was  an  old  friend,  and  for  the  reason  that  whenever  I 
visited  Naples  I  made  it  a  rule  to  insist  upon  occupy 
ing  the  same  room,  I  did  not  experience  the  same  feel 
ing  of  loneliness  which  usually  assails  one  on  retiring 
to  rest  in  a  strange  place.  In  my  own  mind  I  was 
convinced  that  as  soon  as  my  head  touched  the  pillow 
I  should  be  asleep.  But  a  bitter  disappointment  was 
in  store  for  me.  I  laid  myself  down  with  a  sigh  of 
satisfaction  and  closed  my  eyes;  but  whether  I  missed 
the  rocking  of  the  train,  or  was  overtired,  I  can  not  say 


PHAEOS,  THE   EGYPTIAN.  71 

— at  any  rate,  I  was  soon  convinced  of  one  thing,  and 
that  was  that  the  longer  I  lay  there  the  more  wakeful 
I  became.  I  tried  another  position,  but  with  the  same 
result.  I  turned  my  pillow,  only  to  make  it  the  more 
uncomfortable.  Every  trick  for  the  production  of  sleep 
that  I  had  ever  heard  of  I  put  into  execution,  but 
always  with  entire  absence  of  success.  At  last,  thor 
oughly  awake  and  still  more  thoroughly  exasperated,  I 
rose  from  my  couch,  and  dressing  myself,  opened  the 
window  of  my  room  and  stepped  out  on  to  the  balcony. 
It  was  a  glorious  night,  such  a  one  as  is  seldom,  if 
ever,  seen  in  England.  Overhead  the  moon  sailed  in 
a  cloudless  sky,  revealing  with  her  exquisite  light  the 
city  stretching  away  to  right  and  left  and  the  expanse 
of  harbour  lying  directly  before  me;  Vesuvius  standing 
out  black  and  awesome,  and  the  dim  outline  of  the  hills 
toward  Castellamare  and  Sorrento  beyond.  For  some 
reason  my  thoughts  no  longer  centred  themselves  on 
Pharos.  I  found  the  lovely  face  of  his  companion  con 
tinually  rising  before  my  eyes.  There  was  the  same 
expression  of  hopelessness  upon  it  that  I  remembered 
on  the  first  occasion  upon  which  I  had  seen  her;  but 
there  was  this  difference,  that  in  some  vague,  uncer 
tain  way  she  seemed  now  to  be  appealing  to  me  to  help 
her,  to  rescue  her  from  the  life  she  was  leading  and 
from  the  man  who  had  got  her,  as  he  had  done  myself, 
so  completely  in  his  power.  Her  beauty  affected  me 
as  no  other  had  ever  done.  I  could  still  hear  the  soft 
accents  of  her  voice,  and  the  echo  of  her  wild,  weird 
music,  as  plainly  as  if  I  were  still  sitting  listening  to 
her  in  Lady  Medenham's  drawing-room;  and,  strange 
to  relate,  it  soothed  me  to  think  that  it  was  even  pos 
sible  we  might  be  in  the  same  town  together. 

For  upward  of  an  hour  I  remained  in  the  balcony 
looking  down  at  the  moonlit  city  and  thinking  of  the 


Y2  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

change  the  last  few  days  had  brought  about  in  my 
life.  When  I  once  more  sought  my  couch,  scarcely  five 
minutes  elapsed  before  I  was  wrapped  in  a  heavy, 
dreamless  sleep  from  which  I  did  not  wake  until  well 
nigh  nine  o'clock.  Much  refreshed,  I  dressed  myself, 
and  having  swallowed  a  hasty  breakfast,  to  which  I 
brought  a  better  appetite  than  I  had  known  for  some 
days  past,  donned  my  hat  and  left  the  hotel  in  search 
of  Signor  Angelotti,  who,  as  the  card  informed  me, 
carried  on  his  profession  of  a  public  letter-writer  under 
the  arches  of  the  San  Carlo  Theatre. 

In  all  the  years  which  have  elapsed  since  Don  Pedro 
de  Toledo  laid  the  foundation  of  the  magnificent  thor 
oughfare  which  to-day  bears  his  name,  I  very  much 
doubt  if  a  man  has  made  his  way  along  it  on  a  more 
curious  errand  than  I  did  that  day.  To  begin  with,  I 
had  yet  to  discover  what  connection  Angelotti  could 
have  with  Monsieur  Pharos,  and  then  to  find  out  how 
far  it  was  in  his  power  to  help  me.  Would  he  for 
sake  his  business  and  lead  me  direct  to  the  Egyptian's 
abode,  or  would  he  deny  any  knowledge  of  the  person 
in  question  and  send  me  unsatisfied  away?  Upon  these 
points  I  resolved  to  satisfy  myself  without  delay. 

Of  all  the  characteristic  spots  of  Naples  surely  the 
point  at  which  the  Via  Eoma  joins  the  Piazza  San 
Ferdinando,  in  which  is  situated  the  theatre  for  which 
I  was  making,  is  the  most  remarkable.  Here  one  is  per 
mitted  an  opportunity  of  studying  the  life  of  the  city 
under  the  most  favourable  auspices.  My  mind,  how 
ever,  on  this  occasion  was  too  much  occupied  wonder 
ing  what  the  upshot  of  my  errand  would  be  to  have 
any  time  to  spare  for  the  busy  scene  around  me. 
Reaching  the  theatre  I  took  the  card  from  my  pocket 
and  once  more  examined  it.  It  was  plain  and  straight 
forward,  like  Sir  George  Legrath's  own  life,  and.,  as  I 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  73 

have  already  said,  warned  me  that  I  must  look  for  this 
mysterious  Angelotti,  who  carried  on  the  trade  of  a 
public  letter-writer  under  the  arches  of  the  famous 
theatre.  As  I  glanced  at  the  words  "  Public  Letter- 
writer"  another  scene  rose  before  my  mind's  eye. 

Several  years  before  I  had  visited  Naples  with  a 
number  of  friends,  among  whom  was  a  young  Amer 
ican  lady  whose  vivacity  and  capacity  for  fun  made 
her  the  life  and  soul  of  the  party.  On  one  occasion 
nothing  would  please  her  but  to  stop  in  the  street  and 
engage  one  of  these  public  scribes  to  indite  a  letter 
for  her  to  an  acquaintance  in  New  York.  I  can  see 
the  old  man's  amusement  now,  and  the  pretty,  bright 
face  of  the  girl  as  she  endeavoured  to  make  him  un 
derstand,  in  broken  Italian,  what  she  desired  him  to 
say.  That  afternoon,  I  remember,  we  went  to  Capri 
and  were  late  in  reaching  home,  for  which  we  should 
in  all  probability  have  received  a  wigging  from  the 
elder  members  of  the  party,  who  had  remained  behind, 
but  for  the  fact  that  two  important  engagements,  long 
hoped  for,  were  announced  as  resulting  from  the  excur 
sion.  I  could  not  help  contrasting  the  enjoyment  with 
which  I  had  made  a  bet  of  gloves  with  the  young 
American,  that  she  would  not  employ  the  letter-writer 
as  narrated  above,  with  my  feelings  as  I  searched  for 
Angelotti  now.  Approaching  the  first  table  I  inquired 
of  the  man  behind  it  whether  he  could  inform  me 
where  I  should  be  most  likely  to  find  the  individual  I 
wanted. 

"Angelotti,  did  you  say,  signore?"  the  fellow  re 
plied,  shaking  his  head  "  I  know  no  one  of  that  name 
among  the  writers  here."  Then,  turning  to  a  man 
seated  a  little  distance  from  him,  he  questioned  him, 
with  the  same  result. 

It  began  to  look  as  if  Legrath  must  have  made  some 


74  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

mistake,  and  that  the  individual  in  whose  custody  re 
posed  the  secret  of  Pharos's  addres_s  was  as  difficult 
to  find  as  his  master  himself.  But,  unsuccessful  as 
my  first  inquiry  had  been,  I  was  not  destined  to  be 
disappointed  in  the  end.  A  tall,  swarthy  youth,  of 
the  true  Neapolitan  loafer  type,  who  had  been 
leaning  against  a  wall  close  by  smoking  a  cigarette 
and  taking  a  mild  interest  in  our  conversation,  now 
removed  his  back  from  its  resting-place  and  ap 
proached  us. 

"  Ten  thousand  pardons,  Excellenza,"  he  said,  "  but 
you  mentioned  the  name  of  one  Angelotti,  a  public 
letter-writer.  I  am  acquainted  with  him,  and  with 
the  signore's  permission  will  conduct  him  to  that  per 
son."  ' 

"  You  are  sure  you  know  him?  "  I  replied,  turn 
ing  upon  him  sharply,  for  I  had  had  dealings  with 
Neapolitan  loafers  before,  and  I  did  not  altogether  like 
the  look  of  this  fellow. 

"  Since  he  is  my  uncle,  Excellenza,  it  may  be  sup 
posed  that  I  do,"  he  answered. 

Having  said  this  he  inhaled  a  considerable  quantity 
of  smoke  and  blew  it  slowly  out  again,  watching  me 
all  the  time.  I  do  not  know  any  being  in  the  world 
who  can  be  so  servile,  and  at  the  same  time  so  insolent 
at  a  moment's  notice,  as  a  youth  of  the.  Neapolitan 
lower  classes.  This  fellow  was  an  excellent  specimen 
of  his  tribe. 

"  Since  you  know  Angelotti,  perhaps  you  will  be 
good  enough  to  tell  me  his  address?  "  I  said  at  last.  "  I 
have  no  doubt  I  shall  then  be  able  to  find  him  for  my 
self." 

Seeing  the  advantage  he  held,  and  scenting  employ 
ment  of  not  too  severe  a  kind,  the  young  man  made  a 
gesture  with  his  hands  as  if  to  signify  that  while  he  was 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  75 

perfectly  willing  to  oblige  me  in  so  small  a  matter, 
business  was  business,  and  he  must  profit  by  his  oppor 
tunity.  He  would  be  perfectly  willing,  he  said,  to  act 
as  my  guide;  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  it  would 
occupy  some  considerable  portion  of  his  valuable  time, 
and  this  would  have  to  be  paid  for  at  a  corresponding 
rate. 

When  I  had  agreed  to  his  terms  he  bade  me  follow 
him,  and  leaving  the  precincts  of  the  theatre  struck 
out  in  the  direction  of  the  Strada  di  Chiaia.  What 
ever  his  other  deficiencies  may  have  been,  he  was  cer 
tainly  a  good  walker,  and  I  very  soon  found  that  it 
took  me  all  my  time  to  keep  up  with  him.  Eeaching 
the  end  of  the  street  he  turned  sharply  to  the  right, 
crossed  the  road,  and  a  few  seconds  later  dived  into  an 
alley.  Of  all  the  filthy  places  of  Naples,  that  in  which 
I  now  found  myself  was  undoubtedly  the  dirtiest.  As 
usual,  the  houses  were  many  stories  high;  but  the  road 
was  so  narrow,  and  the  balconies  projected  so  far  from 
the  windows,  that  an  active  man  might  have  leaped  from 
side  to  side  with  perfect  safety.  For  the  most  part  the 
houses  consisted  of  small  shops,  though  here  and  there 
the  heavily-barred  lower  windows  and  carved  doorways 
proclaimed  them  private  residences.  Halfway  down 
this  objectionable  thoroughfare  a  still  smaller  and 
dirtier  one  led  off  to  the  right,  and  into  this  my  guide 
turned,  bidding  me  follow  him.  Just  as  I  was  begin 
ning  to  wonder  whether  I  should  ever  find  my  way  out 
alive,  the  youth  came  to  a  standstill  before  a  small 
shop,  in  which  a  number  of  second-hand  musical  in 
struments  were  displayed  for  sale. 

"  This,  Excellenza,  is  the  residence  of  the  most 
illustrious  Angelotti,"  he  said,  with  a  wave  of  his  hand 
toward  the  shop  in  question. 

"  But  I  understand  that  he  was  a  letter-writer,"  I 


76  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

answered,  believing  for  the  moment  that  the  youth  had 
tricked  me. 

"  And  it  was  quite  true,"  he  replied.  "  Until  a 
month  ago  the  Signor  Angelotti  had  his  table  at  the 
theatre;  but  his  cousin  is  dead,  and  now  he  sells  the 
most  beautiful  violins  in  all  Italy." 

As  he  said  this  the  young  man  lifted  his  hand  and 
gently  waved  it  in  the  air,  as  if  it  were  impossible  for 
him  to  find  words  sufficiently  expressive  to  describe 
the  excellence  of  the  wares  I  should  find  within.  It 
is  probable  he  considered  me  an  intending  purchaser, 
and  I  do  not  doubt  he  had  made  up  his  mind,  in  the 
event  of  business  ensuing,  to  return  a  little  later  in 
order  to  demand  from  his  avuncular  relative  a  com 
mission  upon  the  transaction.  Eewarding  him  for  the 
trouble  he  had  taken,  I  bade  him  be  off  about  his  busi 
ness  and  entered  the  shop.  It  was  a  dismal  little  place 
and  filthy  to  an  indescribable  degree.  The  walls  were 
hung  with  musical  instruments,  the  ceiling  with  rows 
of  dried  herbs,  and  in  a  corner,  seated  at  a  table  busily 
engaged  upon  some  literary  composition,  a  little  old 
man,  with  sharp,  twinkling  eyes  and  snow-white  hair. 
On  seeing  me  he  rose  from  his  chair  and  came  forward 
to  greet  me,  pen  in  hand. 

"  I  am  looking  for  the  Signor  Angelotti,"  I  said,  by 
way  of  introducing  myself,  "  whom  I  was  told  I  should 
find  among  the  public  letter-writers  at  the  Theatre  San 
Carlo." 

"  Angelotti  is  my  name,"  he  answered,  "  and  for 
many  years  I  received  my  clients  at  the  place  you  men 
tion;  but  my  cousin  died,  and  though  I  would  wil 
lingly  have  gone  on  writing  my  little  letters — for  I 
may  tell  you,  Excellenza,  that  writing  letters  for  other 
people  is  a  pleasurable  employment — business  is  busi 
ness,  however,  and  here  was  this  shop  to  be  attended  to. 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  >tf 

So  away  went  letter-writing,  and  now,  as  you  see,  I  sell 
violins  and  mandolins,  of  which  I  can  show  you  the 
very  best  assortment  in  all  Naples." 

As  he  said  this  he  put  his  little  sparrow-like  head 
on  one  side  and  looked  at  me  in  such  a  comical  fashion 
that  I  could  scarcely  refrain  from  laughing.  I  had 
no  desire,  however,  to  offend  the  little  man,  for  I  did 
not  know  how  useful  he  might  prove  himself  to  me. 

"  Doubtless  you  miss  your  old  employment/'  I  said, 
"  particularly  as  it  seems  to  have  afforded  you  so  much 
interest.  It  was  not  in  connection  with  your  talents 
in  that  direction,  however,  that  I  have  called  upon  you. 
I  have  come  all  the  way  from  England  to  ask  you  a 
question." 

On  hearing  this  he  nodded  his  head  more  vigorously 
than  before. 

"  A  great  country,"  he  answered  with  enthusiasm. 
"  I  have  written  many  letters  for  my  clients  to  relatives 
there.  There  is  a  place  called  Saffron  Hill.  Oh,  Ex- 
cellenza,  you  would  scarcely  believe  what  stories  I  could 
tell  you  about  the  letters  I  have  written  to  people  there. 
But  I  am  interrupting  you.  I  am  an  old  man,  and  I 
have  seen  very  many  things,  so  it  is  only  natural  I 
should  like  to  talk  about  them." 

"  Very  natural,  indeed,"  I  answered;  "  but  in  this 
instance  all  I  have  come  to  ask  of  you  is  an  address.  I 
want  you  to  find  a  person  for  me  who  left  England  a 
few  days  since." 

"  And  came  to  Naples?    A  countryman,  perhaps?  " 

"  No,  he  is  no  countryman  of  mine,  nor  do  I  even 
know  that  he  came  to  Naples;  but  I  was  told  by  some 
one  in  England,  from  whom  I  made  inquiries,  that  if 
I  came  here  and  asked  for  one  Angelotti,  a  public  let 
ter-writer,  I  should,  in  all  probability,  be  able  to  learn 

his  whereabouts." 
6 


fg  PHAROS,  THE   EGYPTIAN. 

As  if  convinced  of  the  importance  of  the  part  he 
was  to  play  in  the  affair,  the  old  man  laid  his  pen 
carefully  down  upon  the  table,  and  then  stood  before 
me  with  his  hands  placed  together,  finger-tip  to  fin 
ger-tip. 

"  If  your  Excellency  would  condescend  to  mention 
the  individual's  name,"  he  said  softly,  "  it  is  just  pos 
sible  I  might  be  able  to  give  him  the  information  he 
seeks." 

"  The  name  of  the  person  I  want  to  find  is  Pharos," 
I  replied.  "  He  is  sometimes  called  Pharos  the  Egyp 
tian." 

Had  I  stated  that  I  was  in  search  of  the  Author  of 
all  Evil,  the  placid  Angelotti  could  scarcely  have  be 
trayed  more  surprise.  He  took  a  step  from  me  and  for 
a  moment  gazed  at  me  in  amazement.  Then  the  ex 
pression  gradually  faded  from  his  face,  leaving  it  as 
devoid  of  emotion  as  before. 

"  Pharos?  "  he  repeated.  "  For  the  moment  it  does 
not  strike  me  that  I  know  the  individual." 

I  should  have  believed  that  he  really  had  not  the 
power  to  help  me  had  I  not  noticed  the  look  which 
had  come  into  his  face  when  I  mentioned  that  fatal 
name. 

"You  do  not  know  him?"  I  said.  "Surely  you 
must  be  making  some  mistake.  Think  again,  Signer 
Angelotti.  See,  here  is  the  card  I  spoke  of.  It  has 
your  name  and  address  upon  it,  and  it  was  given  me 
by  Sir  George  Legrath,  the  head  of  the  Egyptian  Mu 
seum  in  London,  of  whom  I  think  you  must  at  least 
have  heard." 

He  shook  his  head  after  he  had  examined  the  card. 

"  It  is  my  name,  sure  enough,"  he  said,  handing  it 
back  to  me,  "  but  I  can  not  understand  why  you 
should  have  supposed  that  I  know  anything  of  the 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  79 

person  you  are  seeking.  However,  if  you  will  write 
your  name  and  address  upon  the  card,  and  will  leave  it 
with  me,  I  will  make  inquiries,  and,  should  I  discover 
anything,  will  at  once  communicate  with  your  Excel- 
lency.  I  can  do  no  more." 

I  saw  then  that  my  suppositions  were  correct,  and 
that  the  old  fellow  was  not  as  ignorant  as  he  desired  me 
to  believe.  I  accordingly  wrote  my  name,  with  that  of 
the  hotel  at  which  I  was  staying,  at  the  top  of  the 
card,  and  handed  it  to  him,  and  then,  seeing  that  there 
was  nothing  further  to  be  done,  bade  him  good-morn 
ing,  and  left  the  shop.  Fortunately,  the  road  home  was 
easier  to  find  than  I  had  expected  it  would  be,  and  it 
was  not  very  long  before  I  was  once  more  in  the  Piazza 
S.  Ferdinando. 

I  was  still  thinking  of  the  curious  interview 
through  which  I  had  just  passed  when,  as  I  crossed 
the  road,  I  was  suddenly  recalled  to  the  reality  of  the 
moment  by  a  loud  voice  adjuring  me,  in  scarcely  com 
plimentary  terms,  to  get  out  of  the  way,  unless  I  de 
sired  to  be  run  over.  I  turned  my  head  in  time  to  see 
a  handsome  carriage,  drawn  by  a  pair  of  horses,  coming 
swiftly  toward  me.  With  a  spring  I  gained  the  pave 
ment,  and  then  turned  to  take  stock  of  it.  It  was  not, 
however,  at  the  carriage  I  gazed,  but  at  its  occupant. 
For,  lying  back  upon  her  cushions,  and  looking  even 
more  beautiful  than  when  I  had  seen  her  last,  was 
Pharos's  companion,  the  Fraulein  Valerie  de  Vocsqal. 
That  she  saw  and  recognised  me  was  shown  by  the 
expression  on  her  face  and  the  way  in  which  she  threw 
up  her  right  hand.  I  almost  fancied  I  could  hear  the 
cry  of  amazement  that  escaped  her  lips.  Then  the  car 
riage  disappeared  in  the  crowd  of  traffic  and  she  was 
gone  again.  For  some  moments  I  stood  on  the  pave 
ment  looking  after  her  as  if  rooted  to  the  spot.  It  was 


80  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

only  when  I  had  recovered  myself  sufficiently  to  re 
sume  my  walk  that  I  could  put  two  and  two  to 
gether  and  understand  what  significance  this  meet 
ing  had  for  me.  If  she  were  in  Naples,  it  was  well- 
nigh  certain  that  Pharos  must  be  there  too;  and  if 
he  were  there,  then  I  hoped  it  would  he  in  my 
power  to  find  him  and  acquaint  him  with  the  deter 
mination  I  had  arrived  at  concerning  him.  That  he 
desired  to  avoid  me  I  could  well  understand,  and  the 
very  fact  that  his  companion  showed  so  much  aston 
ishment  at  seeing  me  seemed  to  point  to  the  same  con 
clusion.  Poor  blind  worm  that  I  was,  I  hugged  this 
conceit  to  my  heart,  and  the  more  I  did  so  the  more 
resolved  I  became  in  my  own  mind  that,  when  I  did 
meet  him,  I  would  show  no  mercy.  Debating  with 
myself  in  this  fashion,  I  made  my  way  along  the  Strada 
S.  Carlo  and  so  by  a  short  cut  to  my  hotel. 

As  I  have  already  remarked,  there  is  nothing  dreari 
er  in  the  world  than  a  foreign  hotel  out  of  the  season. 
In  this  particular  instance  I  seemed  to  have  the  entire 
building  to  myself.  The  long  corridors  were  innocent 
of  the  step  of  a  stranger  foot,  and  when  I  sat  down  to 
lunch  in  the  great  dining-hall,  I  had  not  only  the  room, 
but  the  entire  staff,  or  what  was  left  of  it,  to  wait 
upon  me. 

I  had  just  finished  my  meal,  and  was  wondering 
in  what  manner  I  could  spend  the  afternoon,  when  a 
waiter  approached  and  placed  a  note  beside  my  plate. 
Had  I  never  seen  the  writer,  I  should  have  been  able  to 
guess  his  profession  by  his  penmanship.  The  calig- 
raphy  displayed  upon  the  envelope  was  too  perfect  not 
to  be  professional,  and,  as  I  looked  at  it,  it  seemed  to 
me  I  could  see  the  queer,  sparrow-like  head  of  the 
writer  bending  over  it  and  smell  the  odour  of  the  dried 
herbs  and  the  still  drier  violins  hanging  up  in  that 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  81 

quaint  old  shop  to  which  I  had  paid  a  visit  that  morn 
ing.  On  the  top  was  my  name  and  address  in  my  own 
writing,  and  below  it  the  direction  furnished  me  by 
Sir  George  Legrath.  Seeing  that  there  was  nothing 
new  on  that  side,  I  took  it  to  the  window,  and,  turning 
it  over,  read  as  follows: 

"  If  Mr.  Forrester  desires  to  meet  the  person  of 
whom  he  spoke  this  morning  he  should  be  in  the 
Temple  of  Mercury  at  Pompeii  this  afternoon  at  four 
o'clock.  Provided  he  brings  no  one  with  him,  he  will 
be  permitted  the  interview  he  seeks." 

There  was  no  signature,  and  nothing  but  the  pen 
manship  to  show  from  whom  it  emanated;  that  it  was 
genuine,  however,  I  did  not  for  a  moment  doubt.  I 
looked  at  my  watch,  and  finding  that  as  yet  it  was 
scarcely  half  past  one,  tried  to  make  up  my  mind 
Avhether  I  should  go  by  train  or  drive.  The  afternoon 
would  be  hot,  I  was  very  well  aware,  and  so  would  a 
long  drive  in  an  open  carriage  be;  but  the  train  would 
be  hotter  still.  Eventually  I  decided  for  the  road,  and 
immediately  despatched  a  waiter  in  search  of  a  con 
veyance.  Of  the  carriage  and  horses  there  is  nothing 
to  be  said,  and  save  the  view,  which  is  always  beautiful, 
but  little  in  favour  of  the  drive.  It  was  a  quarter  to 
four  when  I  aligned  at  the  entrance  to  the  ruins,  and 
by  that  time  I  was  covered  from  head  to  foot  with 
a  coating  of  that  indescribable  dust  so  peculiar  to 
Kaples. 

Informing  the  cabman  that  I  should  return  to  the 
city  by  train,  I  paid  the  admission  fee  and,  declining 
the  services  of  a  guide,  entered  the  grounds,  keeping 
my  eyes  wide  open,  as  you  may  suppose,  for  the  man  I 
had  come  to  meet.  Entering  the  ruins  proper  by  the 
Marine  Gate,  I  made  my  way  direct  to  the  rendezvous 
named  upon  the  card,  and,  surely,  never  in  the  his- 


82  PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN. 

tory  of  that  ancient  place  had  a  man  passed  along  its 
streets  on  a  stranger  mission.  I  need  not  have  hur 
ried,  however,  for  on  reaching  the  Forum,  whence  a 
full  view  of  the  Temple  can  be  obtained,  I  found  that 
I  had  the  place  to  myself.  Having  satisfied  myself  on 
this  point,  I  sat  down  on  a  block  of  stone  and  collected 
my  thoughts  in  preparation  for  the  coming  interview. 
Times  out  of  number  I  consulted  my  watch;  and  when 
the  hands  pointed  to  four  o'clock  I  felt  as  if  the  quar 
ter  of  an  hour  I  had  spent  there  had  in  reality  been 
an  hour.  It  was  a  breathless  afternoon;  beyond  the 
city  the  blue  hills  seemed  to  float  and  quiver  in  mid 
air.  A  lark  was  trilling  in  the  sky  above  me,  and  so 
still  was  it  that  the  rumbling  of  a  wagon  on  the  white 
road  half  a  mile  or  so  away  could  be  distinctly  heard. 

"  My  dear  Mr.  Forrester,  allow  me  to  wish  you  a 
very  good  afternoon;  I  need  scarcely  say  how  de 
lighted  I  am  to  meet  you!  "  said  a  voice  behind  me; 
and,  turning,  I  found  myself  face  to  face  with  Pharos. 


CHAPTEK   VI. 

ANXIOUS  as  I  had  been  to  see  him,  and  eagerly  as 
I  had  sought  his  presence,  now  that  Pharos  stood  be 
fore  me  I  was  as  frightened  of  him  as  I  had  been  on 
the  night  I  had  first  set  eyes  on  him  at  the  foot  of 
Cleopatra's  Needle.  I  stood  looking  at  his  queer,  un 
gainly  figure  for  some  seconds,  trying  to  make  up  my 
mind  how  I  should  enter  upon  what  I  had  to  say  to 
him.  That  he  was  aware  of  my  embarrassment  I  could 
see,  and  from  the  way  his  lips  curled  I  guessed  that  he 
was  deriving  considerable  satisfaction  from  it.  His 
face  was  as  crafty  and  his  eyes  as  wicked  as  ever  I  had 
seen  them;  but  I  noticed  that  on  this  occasion  he 
leaned  more  heavily  upon  his  stick  than  usual. 

"  I  presume  it  is  to  my  kind  friend  Sir  George  Le- 
grath  that  I  am  indebted  for  the  pleasure  of  this  in 
terview,"  he  said,  after  the  short  pause  that  followed 
his  introductory  speech;  "  for  I  need  not  natter  my 
self  you  will  believe  me  when  I  say  that  I  was  fully 
aware,  even  before  I  met  you  in  Lady  Medenhanr's 
house  the  other  day,  that  we  should  be  talking  together 
in  this  Temple  within  a  week." 

The  palpable  absurdity  of  this  speech  gave  me  just 
the  opportunity  for  which  I  was  waiting. 

"  Monsieur  Pharos,"  I  said,  with  as  much  sternness 
as  I  could  manage  to  throw  into  my  voice,  "  successful 
as  you  have  hitherto  been  in  deceiving  me,  it  is  not 
the  least  use  your  attempting  to  do  so  on  the  present 

83 


84  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

occasion.  I  am  quite  willing  to  state  that  it  was  my 
friend  Sir  George  Legrath  who  put  me  in  the  way  of 
communicating  with  you.  I  called  upon  him  on  Tues 
day  morning  and  obtained  your  address  from  him." 

He  nodded  his  head. 

"  You  will  pardon  me,  I  hope,  if  I  seat  myself,"  he 
said.  "  It  seems  that  this  interview  is  likely  to  be  a 
protracted  one,  and  as  I  am  no  longer  young  I  doubt 
if  I  can  go  through  it  standing." 

With  this  apology  he  seated  himself  on  a  block 
of  stone  at  the  foot  of  one  of  the  graceful  columns 
which  in  bygone  days  had  supported  the  entrance  to 
the  Temple,  and,  resting  his  chin  on  his  hands,  which 
again  leaned  on  the  carved  handle  of  his  stick,  he 
turned  to  me  and  in  a  mocking  voice  said:  "This  air 
of  mystery  is  no  doubt  very  appropriate,  my  friend; 
but  since  you  have  taken  such  trouble  to  find  me,  per 
haps  you  will  be  good  enough  to  furnish  me  with  your 
reason?  " 

I  scratched  in  the  dust  with  the  point  of  my  stick 
before  I  replied.  Prepared  as  I  was  with  what  I  had 
to  say  to  him,  and  justified  as  I  felt  in  pursuing  the 
course  I  had  determined  to  adopt,  for  the  first  time 
since  I  had  arrived  in  Naples  a  doubt  as  to  the  proba 
bility,  or  even  the  sanity,  of  my  case  entered  my  head. 

"  I  can  quite  understand  your  embarrassment,  my 
dear  Mr.  Forrester,"  he  said,  with  a  little  laugh,  when 
he  saw  that  I  did  not  begin.  "  I  am  afraid  you  have 
formed  a  totally  wrong  impression  of  me.  By  some 
mischance  a  train  of  circumstances  has  arisen  which 
has  filled  your  mind  with  suspicion  of  me.  As  a  re 
sult,  instead  of  classing  me  among  your  warmest  and 
most  admiring  friends,  as  I  had  hoped  you  would  do, 
you  distrust  me  and  have  nothing  but  unpleasant 
thoughts  in  your  mind  concerning  me.  Pray  let  me 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  85 

hear  the  charges  you  bring  against  me,  and  I  feel  sure 
— nay,  I  am  certain — I  shall  be  able  to  refute  them. 
The  matter  of  what  occurred  at  Cleopatra's  Needle  has 
already  been  disposed  of,  and  I  do  not  think  \ve  need 
refer  to  it  again.  What  else  have  you  to  urge?  " 

His  voice  had  entirely  changed.  It  had  lost  its 
old  sharpness,  and  was  softer,  more  musical,  and  in 
finitely  more  agreeable  than  I  had  ever  known  it  before, 
lie  rose  from  his  seat  and  moved  a  step  toward  me. 
Placing  his  hand  upon  my  arm,  and  looking  me  full 
and  fair  in  the  face,  he  said: 

"  Mr.  Forrester,  I  am  an  old  man — how  old  you 
can  have  no  idea — and  it  is  too  late  in  my  life  for  me 
to  begin  making  enemies.  Fate,  in  one  of  her  cruel 
moments,  has  cursed  me  with  an  unpleasing  exterior. 
Nay,  do  not  pretend  that  you  think  otherwise,  for  I 
know  it  to  be  true.  Those  whom  I  would  fain  con 
ciliate  are  offended  by  it.  You,  however,  I  should 
have  thought  would  have  seen  below  the  surface.  "Why 
should  we  quarrel?  To  quote  your  own  Shakespeare, 
'  1  would  be  friends  with  you  and  have  your  love/  I 
am  rich,  I  have  influence,  I  have  seen  a  great  deal  of 
the  world,  and  have  studied  mankind  as  few  others 
have  done.  If,  therefore,  we  joined  forces,  what  is 
there  we  might  not  do  together?  " 

Incredible  as  it  may  seem  after  all  I  had  suffered 
on  his  account,  such  was  the  influence  he  exerted  over 
me  that  I  now  began  to  find  myself  wishing  it  were  not 
necessary  for  me  to  say  the  things  I  had  come  to  say. 
But  I  had  no  intention  of  allowing  him  to  suppose  I 
could  be  moved  as  easily  as  he  seemed  to  imagine. 

"  Before  there  can  be  any  talk  of  friendship  or  even 
of  association  between  us,  Monsieur  Pharos,"  I  said, 
"  it  will  be  necessary  for  me  to  have  a  complete  under 
standing  with  you.  If  I  have  wronged  you,  as  I  sin- 


86  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

cerely  hope  I  have  done,  I  will  endeavour  to  make 
amends  for  it.  Are  you  aware  that  on  the  night  of 
Lady  Medenham's  '  at  home '  a  diabolical  murder  was 
committed  at  the  old  curiosity  shop  at  the  corner  of 
the  street  adjoining  that  in  which  my  studio  is  situ 
ated?" 

"  One  could  hardly  read  the  English  papers  with 
out  being  aware  of  it,"  he  answered  gravely;  "  but  I 
scarcely  see  in  what  way  that  affects  me." 

Here  he  stopped  and  gazed  at  me  for  a  moment  in 
silence  as  if  he  were  anxious  to  read  what  was  passing 
in  my  mind.  Then  he  began  again: 

"  Surely  you  do  not  mean  to  tell  me,  Mr.  Forrester, 
that  your  dislike  to  me  is  so  great  as  to  induce  you 
to  believe  that  I  was  the  perpetrator  of  that  ghastly 
deed?  " 

"  Since  you  are  aware  that  a  murder  was  com 
mitted,"  I  said,  without  appearing  to  notice  his  inter 
ruption,  "  perhaps  you  also  know  that  the  deed  was 
supposed  to  have  been  done  between  the  hours  of  mid 
night  and  one  o'clock.  You  may  also  have  read  that 
an  individual  was  seen  leaving  the  house  by  the  back 
entrance  almost  on  the  stroke  of  one,  and  that  he  was 
believed  to  have  taken  refuge  in  my  studio." 

"  Now  that  you  recall  the  circumstance,  I  confess 
I  did  see  something  of  the  sort  in  the  paper,"  he  an 
swered;  "  and  I  remember  reading  also  that  you  in 
formed  the  inspector  of  police,  who  called  upon  you  to 
make  inquiries,  that  to  the  best  of  your  knowledge  no 
such  man  had  entered  your  house.  What  then?  " 

"  Well,  Monsieur  Pharos,  it  was  a  few  moments 
after  the  hour  mentioned  that  you  made  your  appear 
ance  before  me,  breathing  heavily  as  though  you  had 
been  running.  Upon  my  questioning  you,  you  offered 
the  paltry  excuse  that  you  had  been  for  a  walk  after 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  87 

Lady  Medenham's  '  at  home/  and  that  you  had  missed 
your  way  and  come  quite  by  chance  to  my  studio." 

"  As  I  shall  prove  to  your  satisfaction  when  you 
have  finished,  that  was  exactly  what  happened." 

"  But  you  have  not  heard  all,"  I  replied.  "  While 
in  my  rooms  you  became  desirous  of  possessing  the 
mummy  of  the  Egyptian  magician,  Ptahmes.  You 
expressed  a  wish  that  I  should  present  it  to  you,  and, 
when  I  declined  to  do  so,  you  hypnotised  me  and  took 
it  without  either  my  leave  or  my  license — a  very  ques 
tionable  proceeding  if  viewed  in  the  light  of  the  friend 
ship  you  profess  to  entertain  for  me.  How  the  law  of 
the  land  would  regard  it  doubtless  you  know  as  well 
as  I  do." 

As  I  said  this  I  watched  his  face  closely,  but  if  I 
hoped  to  find  any  expression  of  shame  there  I  was 
destined  to  be  disappointed. 

"  My  dear  Forrester,"  he  said,  "  it  is  very  plain  in 
deed  that  you  have  developed  an  intense  dislike  to  me. 
Otherwise  you  would  scarcely  be  so  ready  to  believe  evil 
of  me.  How  will  you  feel  when  I  convince  you  that 
all  the  ill  you  think  of  me  is  undeserved?  Answer  me 
that!" 

"  If  only  you  can  do  so,"  I  cried,  clutching  eagerly 
at  the  hope  he  held  out.  "  If  you  can  prove  that  I  have 
wronged  you,  I  will  only  too  gladly  make  you  any 
amends  in  my  power  You  can  not  imagine  what  these 
last  few  days  have  been  to  me.  I  have  perjured  myself 
to  save  you.  I  have  risked  my  good  name,  I  have — 

"  And  I  thank  you,"  he  answered.  "  I  don't  think 
you  will  find  me  ungrateful.  But  before  I  accept  your 
services  I  must  prove  to  you  that  I  am  not  as  bad  as 
you  think  me.  Let  us  for  a  moment  consider  the  mat 
ter.  We  will  deal  with  the  case  of  the  mummy  first, 
that  being,  as  you  will  allow,  of  the  least  importance  as 


88  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

far  as  you,  individually,  are  concerned.  Before  I  un 
burden  myself,  however,  I  must  make  you  understand 
the  disadvantage  I  am  labouring  under.  To  place  my 
meaning  more  clearly  before  you,  it  would  be  necessary 
for  me  to  make  an  assertion  which  I  have  the  best  of 
reasons  for  knowing  you  would  not  believe.  Perhaps 
I  made  a  mistake  on  that  particular  evening  to  which 
we  are  referring,  when  I  induced  you  to  believe  that  it 
was  by  accident  I  visited  your  studio.  I  am  prepared 
now  to  confess  that  it  was  not  so.  I  was  aware  that 
you  had  that  mummy  in  your  possession.  I  had  known 
it  for  some  considerable  time,  but  I  had  not  been  able 
to  get  in  touch  with  you.  That  night  an  opportunity 
offered,  and  I  seized  it  with  avidity.  I  could  not  wait 
until  the  next  day,  but  called  upon  you  within  a  few 
hours  of  meeting  you  at  Lady  Medenham's  '  at  home.' 
I  endeavoured  to  induce  you  to  part  with  the  mummy, 
but  in  vain.  My  entreaties  would  not  move  you.  I 
exerted  all  my  eloquence,  argued  and  pleaded  as  I  have 
seldom,  if  ever,  done  to  a  man  before.  Then,  seeing 
that  it  was  useless,  I  put  into  force  a  power  of  which 
I  am  possessed,  and  determined  that,  come  what  might, 
you  should  do  as  I  desired.  I  do  not  deny  that  in  so 
doing  I  was  to  blame,  but  I  think,  if  the  magnitude  of 
the  temptation  were  brought  home  to  you,  you  would 
understand  how  difficult  it  would  be  not  to  fall.  Let 
me  make  my  meaning  clearer  to  you  if  possible." 

"  It  would,  perhaps,  be  as  well,"  I  answered,  with 
a  touch  of  sarcasm,  "  for  at  present  I  am  far  from  being 
convinced." 

"  You  have  been  informed  already  by  our  mutual 
friend  Sir  George  Legrath  that  I  am  of  Egyptian 
descent.  Perhaps  you  do  not  understand  that,  while 
the  ancient  families  of  your  country  are  proud  of  being 
able  to  trace  their  pedigrees  back  to  the  time  of  the 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  89 

Norman  Conquest,  a  beggarly  eight  hundred  years  or 
thereabouts,  I,  Pharos,  can  trace  mine,  with  scarcely  a 
break,  back  to  the  nineteenth  dynasty  of  Egyptian  his 
tory,  a  period  of  over  three  thousand  years.  It  was  that 
very  Ptahmes,  the  man  whose  mummy  your  father  stole 
from  its  ancient  resting-place,  who  was  the  founder  of 
our  house.  For  some  strange  reason,  what  I  can  not 
tell,  I  have  always  entertained  the  belief  that  my  ex 
istence  upon  this  earth,  and  such  success  as  I  shall 
meet  with,  depend  upon  my  finding  that  mummy  and 
returning  it  to  the  tomb  from  which  sacrilegious  hands 
had  taken  it.  At  first  this  was  only  a  mere  desire; 
since  then  it  has  become  a  fixed  determination,  which 
has  grown  in  strength  and  intensity  until  it  has  become 
more  than  a  determination,  a  craving  in  which  the  hap 
piness  of  my  whole  existence  is  involved.  For  many 
years,  with  a  feverish  longing  which  I  can  not  expect 
or  hope  to  make  you  understand,  I  searched  Europe 
from  end  to  end,  visiting  all  the  great  museums  and 
private  collections  of  Egyptian  antiquities,  but  without 
success.  Then,  quite  by  chance  and  in  a  most  circui 
tous  fashion,  I  discovered  that  it  was  your  father  who 
had  found  it,  and  that  at  his  death  it  had  passed  on  to 
you.  I  visited  England  immediately,  obtained  an  in 
troduction  to  you,  and  the  rest  you  know." 

"  And  where  is  the  mummy  now?  "  I  inquired. 

"  In  Xaples,"  he  replied.  "  To-morrow  I  start  with 
it  for  Egypt,  to  return  it  to  the  place  whence  your 
father  took  it." 

"  But  allow  me  to  remark  that  it  is  not  your  prop 
erty,  Monsieur  Pharos,"  I  replied;  "  and  even  taking 
into  consideration  the  circumstances  you  relate,  you 
must  see  yourself  that  you  have  no  right  to  act  as  you 
propose  doing." 

"  And  pray  by  what  right  did  your  father  rifle  the 


90  PHAEOS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

dead  man's  tomb?"  said  Pharos  quietly  "And  since 
you  are  such  a  stickler  for  what  is  equitable,  perhaps 
you  will  show  me  his  justification  for  carrying  away  the 
body  from  the  country  in  which  it  had  been  laid  to 
rest  and  conveying  it  to  England  to  be  stared  at  in 
the  light  of  a  curiosity.  No,  Mr.  Forrester,  your  argu 
ment  is  a  poor  one,  and  I  should  combat  it  to  the  last. 
I  am  prepared,  however,  to  make  a  bargain  with  you." 

"  And  what  is  that  bargain?  "  I  inquired. 

"  It  is  as  follows,"  he  replied.  "  Our  interest  in 
the  dead  man  shall  be  equal.  Since  it  was  your  father 
who  stole  the  mummy  from  its  resting-place,  let  it 
be  the  descendant  of  the  dead  Ptahmes  who  restores  it. 
As  you  will  yourself  see,  and  as  I  think  you  must  in 
common  honesty  admit,  what  I  am  doing  in  this  matter 
can  in  no  way  advance  my  own  personal  interests.  If  I 
have  taken  from  you  a  possession  which  you  valued  so 
highly,  set  your  own  figure  upon  it,  and  double  what 
you  ask  I  will  pay.  Can  I  say  anything  fairer?" 

I  did  not  know  what  answer  to  make.  If  the  man 
were  what  he  said,  the  veritable  descendant  of  the 
king's  magician,  then  it  was  only  natural  he  should  be 
willing  to  sacrifice  anything  to  obtain  possession  of  the 
body  of  his  three-thousand-y ears-old  ancestor.  On  my 
part  the  sentiment  was  undoubtedly  a  much  weaker 
one.  The  mummy  had  been  left  me,  among  other  items 
of  his  collection,  by  my  father,  and,  when  that  has 
been  said,  my  interest  in  the  matter  lapsed.  There  was, 
however,  a  weightier  issue  to  be  decided  before  I  could 
do  him  the  favour  he  asked. 

"  So  much  for  the  mummy  incident,"  I  said. 
"  What  you  have  to  do  now  is  to  clear  yourself  of  the 
more  serious  suspicion  that  exists  against  you.  I  refer 
to  the  murder  of  the  curiosity  dealer." 

"  But  surely,  Mr.  Forrester,"  he  said,  "  you  can  not 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  91 

be  serious  when  you  say  you  believe  I  had  anything  to 
do  with  that  dreadful  affair?  " 

"  You  know  very  well  what  I  do  and  what  I  do 
not  believe*'  I  answered.  "  I  await  your  reply." 

"  Since  you  press  me  for  it,  I  will  give  it,"  he  con 
tinued.  "  But  remember  this,  if  I  have  to  convince 
you  of  my  innocence,  your  only  chance  will  be  gone, 
for  I  shall  never  feel  the  same  toward  you  again." 

As  he  said  this  the  old  fierce  light  came  into  his 
eyes,  and  for  a  moment  he  looked  as  dangerous  as  on 
that  evening  in  the  studio. 

"  I  repeat,  I  ask  you  to  convince  me,"  I  said  as 
firmly  as  my  voice  could  speak. 

"  Then  I  will  do  so,"  he  replied,  and  dived  his  hand 
into  his  coat  pocket.  When  he  produced  it  again  it 
held  a  crumpled  copy  of  a  newspaper.  He  smoothed  it 
out  upon  his  knee  and  handed  it  to  me. 

"  If  you  will  look  at  the  third  column  from  the 
left,  you  will  see  a  heading  entitled  '  The  mysterious 
murder  in  Bonwell  Street.'  Pray  read  it." 

I  took  the  paper  and  read  as  follows: 

"MYSTERIOUS    MURDER    IN    BONWELL 
STREET. 

"  EXTRAORDINARY  CONFESSION   AND   SUICIDE. 

"  Shortly  before  nine  o'clock  this  morning,  a  tall, 
middle-aged  man,  giving  the  name  of  Johann  Schmidt, 
a  German,  and  evidently  in  a  weak  state  of  health, 
entered  the  precincts  of  Bow  Street  Police  Station, 
and  informed  the  officer  in  charge  that  he  desired 
to  give  himself  up  to  justice  as  the  murderer  of  Her 
man  Clausand,  the  curiosity  dealer  of  Bonwell  Street, 
the  victim  of  the  shocking  tragedy  announced  in  our 
issue  of  Tuesday  last.  Schmidt,  who  spoke  with  con- 


92  PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN. 

siderable  earnestness  and  seemed  desirous  of  being  be 
lieved,  stated  that  several  years  before  he  had  been  in 
the  deceased's  employ,  and  since  his  dismissal  had 
nursed  feelings  of  revenge.  On  the  day  preceding  the 
murder  he  had  called  at  JBonwell  Street,  and,  after  in 
forming  Clausand  that  he  was  out  of  employment  and 
starving,  asked  to  be  again  taken  into  his  service;  the 
other,  however,  refused  to  entertain  his  request,  where 
upon  Schmidt  very  reluctantly  left  the  shop.  For  the 
remainder  of  the  day  he  wandered  about  London,  en 
deavouring  to  obtain  work,  but  about  midnight,  hav 
ing  been  unsuccessful,  he  returned  to  Bonwell  Street 
and  rang  the  bell.  The  door  was  opened  by  Clausand 
himself,  who,  as  we  stated  in  our  first  account  of  the 
murder,  lived  alone.  Schmidt  entered,  and  once  more 
demanded  employment,  or  at  least  money  sufficient  to 
enable  him  to  find  shelter  for  the  night.  Again  Clau 
sand  refused,  whereupon  the  man  picked  up  a  dagger 
from  a  stand  near  by  and  stabbed  him  to  the  heart. 
Frightened  at  what  he  had  done,  he  did  not  stay  to  rob 
the  body,  but  made  his  way  through  the  house  and  out 
by  the  back  door.  Passing  into  Murbrook  Street,  he 
saw  a  policeman  coming  toward  him,  but  by  stepping 
into  a  doorway  managed  to  avoid  him.  Since  that 
time,  up  to  the  moment  of  surrendering  himself,  he  had 
been  wandering  about  London,  and  it  was  only  when 
he  found  starvation  staring  him  in  the  face  that  he 
determined  to  give  himself  up.  Having  told  his  story, 
the  man  was  about  to  be  searched  prior  to  being  con 
ducted  to  a  cell,  when  he  drew  from  his  pocket  a  re 
volver  and  placed  the  muzzle  to  his  forehead.  Before 
the  bystanders  could  stop  him  he  had  pulled  the 
trigger;  there  was  a  loud  report,  and  a  moment  later 
the  wretched  man  fell  dead  at  the  officer's  feet.  The 
divisional  surgeon  was  immediately  summoned,  but  on 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  93 

his  arrival  found  that  life  was  extinct.  Inquiries  were 
at  once  made  with  a  view  to  ascertaining  whether  the 
story  he  had  told  had  any  foundation  in  fact.  We  have 
since  learned  that  the  description  he  gave  of  himself 
was  a  true  one,  that  he  had  once  been  in  Clausand's 
employ,  and  that  on  the  day  preceding  the  murder  he 
had  openly  asserted  in  a  public-house  in  the  neigh 
bourhood  of  Soho  his  intention  of  being  revenged  upon 
the  dead  man. 

"  The  coroner  has  been  informed,  and  an  inquest 
will  be  held  to-morrow  morning." 

After  I  had  read  it,  I  stood  for  some  moments  look 
ing  at  the  paper  in  my  hand.  Then  I  turned  to  Pharos, 
who  was  still  seated  on  the  block  of  stone  watching  me 
intently.  Since  this  miserable  wretch  had  confessed 
to  the  crime,  it  wras  plain  that  I  had  wronged  him  in 
supposing  he  had  committed  it.  A  weight  was  un 
doubtedly  lifted  from  my  mind,  but  for  some  reason  or 
another  the  satisfaction  I  derived  from  this  was  by  no 
means  as  great  as  I  had  expected  it  would  be.  At  the 
back  of  my  mind  there  was  still  a  vague  impression  that 
I  was  being  deceived,  and,  do  what  I  would,  I  could  not 
rid  myself  of  it. 

"  That,  I  think,  should  convince  you,  Mr.  For 
rester,"  said  Pharos,  rising  and  coming  toward  me, 
"  how  very  unwise  it  is  ever  to  permit  one's  feelings  to 
outweigh  one's  judgment.  You  made  up  your  mind 
that  you  disliked  me,  and  for  the  simple  reason  that  I 
had  the  misfortune  to  lose  my  way  on  that  particular 
evening,  and  to  reach  your  studio  about  the  same  time 
that  that  terrible  murder  was  committed,  you  were 
ready  at  a  moment's  notice  to  believe  me  guilty  of  the 
crime." 

"  What  you  say  is  quite  true,"  I  answered  humbly. 

r 


94  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

"  I  acted  very  foolishly,  I  admit.  I  have  done  you  a 
great  wrong,  and  you  have  behaved  very  generously 
about  it." 

•  "  In  that  case  we  will  say  no  more  about  it,"  he  re 
plied.  "  It  is  an  unpleasant  subject;  let  us  forget  it 
and  never  refer  to  it  again.  As  I  asked  you  to  believe 
when  last  I  saw  you,  my  only  desire  is  that  you  should 
think  well  of  me  and  that  we  should  be  friends.  As 
another  proof  of  my  kindly  feeling  toward  yourself,  I 
will  go  further  than  I  originally  intended  and  say  that 
I  am  willing  to  restore  the  mummy  I  took  from  you. 
It  is  here  in  Naples,  but,  if  you  wish,  it  shall  be  at  once 
returned  to  your  house  in  London." 

This  was  more  than  I  had  expected  from  him, 
and  it  impressed  me  accordingly. 

"  I  could  not  dream  of  such  a  thing,"  I  replied. 
"  Since  you  have  been  so  generous,  let  me  follow  your 
example.  I  have  wronged  you,  and,  as  some  small  re 
turn,  I  ask  you  to  keep  the  king's  magician,  and  do 
with  him  as  you  please." 

"  I  accept  your  offer  in  the  spirit  in  which  it  is 
made,"  he  replied.  "  Now,  perhaps,  we  had  better  be 
going.  If  you  have  nothing  better  to  do  this  even 
ing  I  should  be  glad  if  you  would  dine  with  me.  I 
think  I  can  promise  you  a  better  dinner  than  you  will 
get  at  your  own  hotel,  and  afterward,  I  have  no  doubt, 
we  shall  be  able  to  induce  my  ward  to  give  us  some 
music.  You  had  better  say  '  Yes,'  for,  I  assure  you,  we 
shall  both  be  disappointed  if  you  refuse." 

"  You  are  really  very  kind,"  I  began,  "  but— 

"  With  your  permission  we  will  have  no  '  buts/  "  he 
replied,  with  a  wave  of  his  hand.  "  The  matter  is  set 
tled,  and  I  shall  look  forward  to  a  pleasant  evening. 
My  carriage  is  at  the  gate,  and  if  you  will  drive  back 
with  me  I  shall  be  doubly  honoured." 


PHAROS,  THE   EGYPTIAN.  95 

If  there  had  been  any  way  of  getting  out  of  it,  I 
think  I  should  have  taken  advantage  of  it;  but  as  I 
could  not  discover  one,  I  was  perforce  compelled  to 
accept  his  invitation. 

"  I  wonder  if  this  city  has  the  same  fascination  for 
you,  Mr.  Forrester,  that  it  has  for  me?"  said  Pharos, 
after  I  had  given  my  consent  to  the  arrangement  he 
proposed.  "  For  my  own  part  I  never  come  to  Naples 
without  paying  it  a  visit;  but  how  very  few  are  there 
of  the  numbers  who  visit  it  weekly  that  really  under 
stand  it!  What  tales  I  could  tell  you  of  it,  if  only  they 
interested  you!  How  vividly  I  could  bring  back  to  you 
the  life  of  the  people  who  once  spoke  in  this  forum, 
bathed  in  yonder  baths,  applauded  in  the  theatre  nine 
teen  hundred  years  ago!  Let  us  follow  this  street 
which  leads  toward  the  Temple  of  Isis,  that  Temple 
in  which  the  Egyptian  goddess  was  worshipped  by 
such  as  pretended  to  believe  in  her  mysterious  powers. 
I  say  pretended,  because  it  was  the  fashion  then  to  con 
sult  her  oracles — a  fashion  as  insulting  as  it  was 
popular." 

By  this  time  we  had  passed  out  of  the  Temple  of 
Mercury  and  were  making  our  way  along  the  time- 
worn  pavement  toward  the  building  of  which  he  spoke. 
The  sun  was  sinking  in  the  west,  and  already  long 
shadows  were  drawing  across  the  silent  streets,  inten 
sifying  the  ghostliness  of  the  long-deserted  city. 
Beaching  the  Temple,  we  entered  and  looked  about 
us. 

"  See  how  its  grandeur  has  departed  from  it,"  said 
Pharos,  with  a  note  of  sadness  in  his  voice  that  made 
me  turn  and  gaze  at  him  in  surprise.  "  Time  was 
when  this  was  the  most  beautiful  temple  in  the  city, 
when  every  day  her  courts  were  thronged  with  wor 
shippers,  when  her  oracles  boasted  a  reputation  that 


96  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

reached  even  to  mighty  Eome.  On  this  spot  stood  the 
statue  of  the  goddess  herself.  There  that  of  her  son, 
the  god  Horus.  Here  was  the  purgatorium,  and  there 
the  bronze  figure  of  the  bull  god  Apis.  Can  you  not 
picture  the  crowd  of  eager  faces  beyond  the  rails,  the 
white-robed  priests,  and  the  sacrifice  being  offered  up 
on  yonder  altar  amid  the  perfumes  of  frankincense  and 
myrrh?  ^Vhere,  Mr.  Forrester,  are  these  priests  now? 
The  crowd  of  worshippers,  the  statues?  Gone — gone — 
dust  and  ashes,  these  nineteen  hundred  years.  Come, 
we  have  lingered  here  long  enough,  let  us  go  further." 

Leaving  the  Temple  we  made  our  way  into  the 
Stabian  Street,  passed  the  Temple  of  ^Esculapius,  and 
did  not  stop  until  we  had  reached  the  house  of  Tullus 
Agrippa.  Into  this  Pharos  led  me. 

"  0  Tullus  Agrippa!  "  he  cried,  as  if  apostrophizing 
the  dead  man,  "  across  the  sea  of  time,  I,  Pharos  the 
Egyptian,  salute  thee!  Great  was  thy  wealth  and  end 
less  thy  resources.  Greedy  of  honour  and  praise  wast 
thou,  and  this  house  was  the  apex  of  thy  vanity.  Here 
is  that  same  triclinium  where  thy  guests  were  wont  to 
assemble  when  thou  didst  invite  them  to  thy  banquets. 
Here  the  room  in  which  thou  didst  condemn  thine  only 
son  to  perpetual  banishment.  In  those  clays,  when  the 
sun  was  warm  and  the  table  was  laden  with  the  ban 
quet,  and  friends  crowded  about  thee  and  praised  the 
beauty  of  thy  frescoes,  the  excellence  of  thy  wine,  the 
cunning  of  thy  cook,  and  the  service  of  thy  slaves, 
little  didst  thou  dream  that  nineteen  centuries  later 
would  find  thy  house  roofless,  dug  up  from  the  bowels 
of  the  earth,  and  thy  cherished  rooms  a  show  to  be 
gaped  at  by  all  who  cared  to  pay  a  miserable  fee. 
Least  of  all  didst  thou  think  then  that  Pharos  the 
Egyptian  would  be  standing  in  the  room  where  once 
thou  didst  rule  so  absolute,  telling  thy  faults  and  follies 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  97 

to  a  man  of  a  race  that  in  thy  day  was  well-nigh 
unknown." 

He  stopped  for  a  moment,  and  then,  turning  to  me 
again,  recommenced  with  fresh  energy: 

"  The  owner  of  this  house,  Tullus  Agrippa,  was 
avaricious,  cruel,  vain,  and  sensual.  He  gave  of  his 
wealth  only  when  he  was  assured  of  a  large  return.  He 
was  hated  on  every  hand,  and  by  his  own  family  and  de 
pendants  most  of  all.  What  did  his  wealth  avail  him 
on  that  last  dread  day,  when  the  streets  were  filled  with 
flying  citizens,  when  all  was  confusion  and  none  knew 
which  way  to  turn  for  safety?  The  catastrophe  found 
him  tossing  on  a  bed  of  sickness  and  scarcely  able  to 
stand  alone.  With  the  first  shock  of  the  earthquake 
he  called  imperiously  for  his  favourite  slave,  but  re 
ceived  no  answer.  He  called  again,  this  time  almost 
with  entreaty.  Still  no  answer  came.  The  walls  of 
his  house  trembled  and  shook  as  he  rose  from  his 
couch  and  staggered  out  into  the  fast  darkening  street. 
Like  a  blind  man  he  groped  his  way  to  yonder  corner, 
calling  upon  the  names  of  his  gods  as  he  went,  and 
offering  every  sestertia  in  his  possession  to  the  person 
who  would  conduct  him  to  a  place  of  safety.  A  man 
brushed  against  him.  He  looked  up  and  recognised 
the  gladiator,  Tymon,  the  man  he  had  encouraged  and 
whose  richest  patron  he  had  been.  Accordingly,  he 
seized  him  and  clung  to  him,  offering  gifts  innumer 
able  if  he  would  only  carry  him  as  far  as  the  Marine 
Gate.  But  this,  as  Tymon  knew,  was  no  time  for 
helping  others,  with  that  terrible  shower  of  ashes  pour 
ing  down  like  rain.  The  gladiator  cast  him  off,  but 
the  other  was  not  to  be  denied.  He  struggled  to  his 
knees  and  threw  his  arms  around  the  strong  man's 
legs,  but  only  for  an  instant.  Housed  to  a  pitch  of 
fury  by  his  terror,  Tymon  struck  him  a  blow  on  the 


98  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

temple  with  the  full  strength  of  his  ponderous  fist. 
The  old  man  stumbled  against  the  wall,  clutched  at  it 
for  support,  and  at  length  fell  senseless  upon  the 
ground.  The  shower  of  ashes  and  scoria  quickly  cov 
ered  him,  and  nineteen  hundred  years  later  the  work 
men,  excavating  the  ruins,  discovered  his  body  at  the 
base  of  yonder  wall.  Such  was  the  fate  of  the  noble 
Tullus  Agrippa,  citizen  of  Eome,  and  once  the  owner 
of  this  house." 

Before  I  could  reply  or  ask  how  he  had  become 
familiar  with  these  details,  he  had  made  his  way  out 
side  and  was  in  the  road  once  more.  I  followed  him 
to  the  Street  of  Fortune,  passed  the  House  of  the 
Fawn,  the  Baths,  and  the  Villa  of  Glaucus.  Of  each 
he  had  some  story  to  tell — some  anecdote  to  relate. 
From  the  graphic  way  in  which  he  described  every 
thing,  the  names  and  characters  he  introduced,  I  might 
have  been  excused  had  I  even  believed  that  he  had 
known  the  city  in  its  prime  and  been  present  on  the 
day  of  its  destruction.  I  said  as  much  to  him,  but  he 
only  shook  his  head. 

"  Think  what  you  please,"  he  said.  "  If  I  were  to 
tell  you  the  truth  you  would  not  believe  me.  For  that 
reason  I  prefer  that  you  should  credit  me  with  the 
possession  of  an  exceedingly  vivid  imagination.  If  I 
have  succeeded  in  making  the  last  hour  pass  pleasantly, 
I  am  amply  rewarded.  But  it  grows  late;  the  guards 
are  coming  in  search  of  us;  let  us  return  to  the  gate." 

Accordingly,  we  made  our  way  back  to  the  Porta 
Marina,  and  down  the  path  toward  the  entrance  to  the 
ruins.  My  companion  was  evidently  well  known  to 
the  officials,  for  they  treated  him  with  obsequious  re 
spect,  bowing  before  him  and  inquiring  if  he  had  seen 
certain  new  excavations,  as  if  the  success  of  the  latter 
depended  entirely  on  his  good  opinion  of  them.  In  the 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  99 

road  outside  a  carriage  was  standing,  to  which  was 
attached  a  magnificent  pair  of  black  horses.  A  coach 
man,  dressed  in  a  neat  but  unpretentious  black  livery, 
sat  upon  the  box,  while  a  footman  stood  beside  the 
carriage  door.  The  whole  turn-out  was  in  excellent 
taste,  and  would  have  made  a  creditable  appearance  in 
the  Bois  de  Boulogne  or  Hyde  Park.  Into  this  elegant 
equipage  Pharos  invited  me  to  step,  and  as  soon  as  I 
had  seated  myself  he  took  his  place  beside  me.  Hot 
though  the  night  was,  a  heavy  fur  rug  was  wrapped 
round  his  knees,  and  when  this  had  been  done  he  laid 
himself  back  upon  the  cushions  with  a  sigh  of  relief, 
as  if  the  exertion  of  the  afternoon  had  been  too  much 
for  him. 

"  So  much  for  Pompeii,"  he  said,  as  the  horses 
sprang  forward.  "  Now  for  Naples  and  the  most  beau 
tiful  creature  it  contains  at  present,  my  ward,  the 
Fraulein  Valerie  de  Vocsqal." 


* 

CHAPTEE   VII. 

IF  any  one  had  told  me  on  the  night  that  I  first 
met  Pharos  at  the  foot  of  Cleopatra's  Needle  that 
within  a  very  short  space  of  time  I  should  be  driving 
from  Pompeii  to  Naples  alone  with  him,  I  believe  I 
should  have  laughed  that  person  to  scorn.  And  what  is 
perhaps  stranger,  seeing  how  intense  my  dislike  for 
him  had  been  less  than  two  hours  before,  I  was  not  only 
paying  attention  to  what  he  said  to  me,  but  was  actu 
ally  deriving  a  certain  measure  of  enjoyment  from  his 
society.  In  my  time  I  have  met  some  of  the  cleverest 
talkers  in  Europe,  men  whose  conversational  powers 
are  above  the  average,  and  to  whom  it  is  rightly  enough 
considered  a  privilege  to  listen.  Pharos,  however, 
equalled  if  he  did  not  exceed  them  all.  His  range  of 
topics  was  extraordinary,  and  his  language  as  easy  and 
graceful  as  it  was  free  from  the  commonplace.  Upon 
every  conceivable  subject  he  had  some  information  to 
impart,  and  in  the  cases  of  events  in  the  world's  history, 
he  did  so  with  the  same  peculiar  suggestion  of  be 
ing  able  to  speak  from  the  point  of  an  eye-witness, 
or,  at  least,  as  one  who  had  lived  in  the  same  pe 
riod,  that  I  had  noticed  when  he  conducted  me 
through  the  ruins  of  Pompeii  that  afternoon.  The 
topography  of  the  country  through  which  we  were 
passing  he  also  had  at  his  fingers'  ends.  About  every 
portion  of  the  landscape  he  had  some  remark  of  inter 
est  to  make,  and  when  we  had  exhausted  Italy  and  pro- 
100 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  101 

ceeded  to  more  distant  countries,  I  found  that  he  was 
equally  conversant  with  the  cities  they  contained.  How 
long  the  drive  lasted  I  can  not  say;  but  never  in  my 
experience  of  the  high  road  between  Naples  and  Pom 
peii  had  it  seemed  so  short.  Eeaching  the  Castello  del 
Carmine  we  turned  sharply  to  our  right,  passed  up  the 
Corso  Garibaldi  for  some  considerable  distance,  and 
eventually  branched  off  to  the  left.  After  that,  I  have 
no  further  knowledge  of  our  route.  We  traversed 
street  after  street,  some  of  them  so  narrow  that  there 
was  barely  room  for  our  carriage  to  pass  along,  until  at 
last  we  reached  a  thoroughfare  that  not  only  contained 
better  houses  than  the  rest,  but  was  considerably  wider. 
Before  a  large,  old-fashioned  residence  the  horses  came 
to  a  standstill;  a  pair  of  exquisitely  wrought-iron  gates 
guarding  a  noble  archway  were  thrown  open,  and 
through  them  we  passed  into  the  courtyard  beyond. 
Beautiful  as  many  of  the  courtyards  are  in  Naples,  I 
think  this  one  eclipsed  them  all.  The  house  sur 
rounded  it  on  three  sides;  on  the  fourth,  and  opposite 
that  by  which  we  had  entered,  was  the  garden,  with 
its  fountains,  vista  of  palm  trees,  through  which  a  peep 
of  the  waters  of  the  bay  could  be  obtained,  and  its 
luxuriant  orange  groves.  In  the  soft  light  of  evening 
a  more  picturesque  picture  could  not  have  been  de 
sired. 

The  footman,  having  descended  from  the  box, 
opened  the  door  of  the  carriage,  and  when  he  had  with 
drawn  the  rug  from  his  master's  knees,  assisted  him  to 
alight.  I  followed,  and  we  proceeded  up  the  steps  into 
the  house.  Prepared  as  I  was  by  the  fact  that  both 
Lady  Medenham  and  Sir  George  Legrath  had  informed 
me  of  Pharos's  wealth,  I  could  scarcely  contain  my  sur 
prise  when  the  beauty  of  the  house  to  which  I  was 
now  introduced  was  revealed  to  me.  The  hall  in  which 


102  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

we  stood  was  filled  from  floor  to  ceiling  with  works  of 
art,  carvings,  paintings,  statues,  tapestry,  the  value  of 
which  I  could  the  better  appreciate  when  I  was  per 
mitted  an  opportunity  of  examining  them  more  closely. 

"  I  make  you  welcome  to  my  abode,  Mr.  Forrester," 
said  Pharos,  as  I  crossed  the  threshold.  "  You  are  not 
the  first  English  artist  who  has  honoured  me  with  a 
visit,  and  I  think,  if  you  will  glance  round  these  walls, 
you  will  admit  that  you  are  in  good  company.  See, 
here  is  a  Fra  Angelico,  here  a  Botticelli,  here  a  Peru- 
gino,  to  your  right  a  Giorgione — all  your  fellow-guests. 
At  the  foot  of  the  stairs  is  a  Jan  Steen,  half-way  up  a 
Madonna  by  Signorelli;  the  monk  above  is,  as  doubt 
less  you  can  see  for  yourself,  an  Andrea  del  Sarto,  who 
has  found  many  admirers.  But  that  is  not  all.  If  you 
will  follow  me,  I  think  I  can  show  you  something 
which  will  have  an  equal  interest  for  you,  though  per 
haps  in  a  somewhat  different  way." 

Feeling  as  if  I  were  walking  in  a  dream,  I  followed 
him  along  the  hall.  Presently  he  stopped  and  pointed 
to  a  large  canvas. 

"  Do  you  recognise  it?  "  he  inquired. 

To  my  surprise  it  was  neither  more  nor  less  than 
one  of  my  own  earlier  works  which  had  appeared  in 
the  Academy  about  three  years  before  and  represented 
a  fantastic  subject.  It  had  been  purchased  by  a  dealer, 
and  after  it  had  left  my  possession  I  had  lost  sight  of 
it  altogether.  To  find  it  here,  in  the  home  of  the  man 
who  had  come  to  play  such  an  extraordinary  part  in 
my  life,  overwhelmed  me  with  astonishment. 

"  You  seem  surprised  at  seeing  it,"  said  Pharos,  as 
we  stood  before  it.  "  If  you  will  allow  me  I  will  relate 
to  you  the  circumstances  under  which  it  came  into  my 
possession,  and  I  think  you  will  admit  that  they  are 
highly  interesting.  It  is  now  two  years  since  the  event 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  103 

occurred  of  which  I  am  going  to  tell  you.  I  was  then 
in  Baden.  It  was  the  height  of  the  season,  and  the 
city  was  crowded,  not  only  with  interesting  foreigners 
— if  you  will  permit  the  unintentional  sarcasm — but 
with  a  large  proportion  of  your  own  English  aristoc 
racy.  Among  the  latter  was  a  certain  nobleman  to 
whom  I  was  happily  able  to  be  of  considerable  service. 
He  was  one  of  life's  failures.  In  his  earlier  youth  he 
had  a  literary  tendency  which,  had  the  Fates  been  pro 
pitious,  might  possibly  have  brought  him  some  degree 
of  fame;  his  accession  to  the  title,  however,  and  the 
wealth  it  carried  with  it,  completely  destroyed  him. 
When  I  met  him  in  Baden  he  was  as  near  ruined  as  a 
man  of  his  position  could  be.  He  had  with  him  one 
daughter,  a  paralytic,  to  whom  he  was  devotedly  at 
tached.  Had  it  not  been  for  her  I  am  convinced  he 
would  have  given  up  the  struggle  and  have  done  what 
he  afterward  did — namely,  have  made  away  with  him 
self.  In  the  hope  of  retrieving  his  fortune  and  of  dis 
tracting  his  mind  he  sought  the  assistance  of  the  gam 
ing-tables;  but  having  neither  luck  nor,  what  is  equally 
necessary,  sufficient  courage,  eventually  found  himself 
face  to  face  with  ruin.  It  was  then  that  I  appeared 
upon  the  scene  and  managed  to  extricate  him  from  his 
dilemma.  As  a  token  of  his  gratitude  he  made  me  a 
present  of  this  picture,  which  up  to  that  time  had  been 
one  of  his  most  treasured  possessions." 

"  And  the  man  himself — what  became  of  him?  " 

Pharos  smiled  an  evil  smile. 

"  Well,  he  was  always  unfortunate.  On  the  self 
same  night  that  he  made  me  the  present  to  which  I 
refer  he  experienced  another  run  of  ill  luck." 

"And  the  result?" 

"  Can  you  not  guess?  He  returned  to  his  lodgings 
to  find  that  his  daughter  was  dead,  whereupon  he  wrote 


104  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

me  a  note,  thanking  me  for  the  assistance  I  had  ren 
dered  him,  and  blew  his  brains  out  at  the  back  of  the 
Kursaal." 

On  hearing  this  I  recoiled  a  step  from  the  picture. 
While  it  flattered  my  vanity  to  hear  that  the  wretched 
man  who  had  lost  fame,  fortune,  and  everything  else 
should  still  have  retained  my  work,  I  could  not  repress 
a  feeling  of  horror  at  the  thought  that  in  so  doing  he 
had,  unconsciously,  it  is  true,  been  bringing  me  into 
connection  with  the  very  man  who  I  had  not  the  least 
doubt  had  brought  about  his  ruin.  As  may  be  sup 
posed,  however,  I  said  nothing  to  Pharos  on  this  score. 
For  the  time  being  we  were  flying  a  flag  of  truce,  and 
having  had  one  exhibition  of  his  powers,  I  had  no  de 
sire  to  experience  a  second.  Whether  he  read  what  was 
passing  in  my  mind  or  not  I  can  not  say.  At  any  rate, 
he  changed  the  subject  abruptly  and  led  me  away  from 
my  own  work  to  another  at  the  farther  end  of  the 
hall.  From  this  we  passed  into  an  anteroom,  which, 
like  the  hall,  was  hung  with  pictures.  It  was  a  mag 
nificent  apartment  in  every  way,  but,  as  I  soon  discov 
ered,  was  eclipsed  by  the  larger  room  into  which  it 
opened.  The  latter  could  not  liave  been  less  than 
eighty  feet  long  by  forty  wide.  The  walls  were  deco 
rated  with  exquisite  pictures,  and,  if  such  a  thing  were 
possible,  with  still  more  exquisite  china.  All  the  ap 
pointments  were  in  keeping.  At  the  farther  end  was  a 
grand  piano,  and  seated  near  this,  slowly  fanning  her 
self  with  a  large  ostrich-feather  fan,  was  the  woman  I 
had  seen  first  at  the  Academy,  then  at  Medenham 
House,  and  earlier  that  very  day  in  the  Piazza  S.  Fer- 
dinando.  Upon  our  entrance  she  rose,  and  once  more 
I  thought  I  discovered  a  frightened  look  in  her  face. 
In  a  second,  however,  it  had  passed  and  she  had  once 
more  recovered  her  equanimity. 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  105 

"  Valerie/'  said  Monsieur  Pharos,  "  I  have  been 
fortunate  enough  to  meet  Mr.  Forrester,  who  arrived  in 
Naples  last  night,  and  to  induce  him  to  dine  with  us 
this  evening." 

While  he  was  speaking  I  had  been  watching  the 
face  of  the  beautiful  woman  whose  affecting  story  Lady 
Medenham  had  told  me,  and  had  noticed  how  white 
it  had  suddenly  become.  The  reason  of  this  I  have 
since  discovered,  but  I  know  that  at  the  time  it  puzzled 
me  more  than  a  little. 

"  I  bid  you  welcome,  sir,"  she  said,  in  excellent 
English,  but  with  no  great  degree  of  cordiality. 

I  made  some  suitable  reply,  and  then  Pharos  de 
parted  from  the  room,  leaving  us  together.  My  com 
panion  once  more  seated  herself,  and,  making  an  effort, 
began  a  conversation  that  was  doubtless  of  a  very  po 
lite,  but  to  me  entirely  unsatisfactory,  nature.  Pres 
ently  she  rose  from  her  chair  and  went  to  the  window, 
where  she  stood  for  some  moments  looking  out  into  the 
fast-darkening  street.  Then  she  turned  to  me,  as  she 
did  so  making  a  little  gesture  with  her  hands  that  was 
more  expressive  than  any  words. 

"  Mr.  Forrester,"  she  said,  speaking  rapidly  in  a 
low  voice,  but  with  great  earnestness,  "  have  you  taken 
leave  of  your  senses  that  you  come  here?  Are  you  tired 
of  your  life  that  you  thrust  your  head  into  the  lion's 
den  in  this  foolish  fashion  ?  " 

Her  words  were  so  startling  and  her  agitation  so 
genuine  that  I  could  make  neither  head  nor  tail  of  it. 
I  accordingly  hastened  to  ask  for  an  explanation. 

"  I  can  tell  you  nothing,"  she  said,  "  except  that 
this  place  is  fatal  to  you.  Oh,  if  I  could  only  make 
you  understand  how  fatal!  " 

Her  beauty  and  the  agitation  under  which  she 
was  labouring  exercised  a  most  powerful  effect  upon 


106  PHAROS,  THE   EGYPTIAN. 

me,  which  was  increased  rather  than  diminished 
when  I  reflected  that  it  was  being  exerted  on  my 
behalf. 

"  I  scarcely  understand  you/'  I  stammered,  for  I 
was  quite  carried  away  by  her  vehemence.  "  From 
what  you  say  I  gather  that  you  believe  me  to  be  in  a 
position  of  some  danger,  but  I  assure  you  such  is  not 
the  case.  I  met  Monsieur  Pharos  at  Pompeii  this  after 
noon,  and  he  was  kind  enough  to  ask  me  to  dine  with 
him  this  evening.  Surely^  there  can  be  nothing  dan 
gerous  in  that.  If,  however,  my  presence  is  in  any 
way  distasteful  to  you,  I  can  easily  make  an  excuse 
and  take  my  departure." 

"  You  know  it  is  not  that,"  she  answered  quickly 
and  with  a  little  stamp  of  her  foot.  "  It  is  for  your 
own  sake  I  am  imploring  you  to  go.  If  you  knew  as 
much  of  this  house  as  I  do,  you  would  not  remain  in  it 
another  minute." 

"  My  dear  madame,"  I  said,  "  if  you  would  only  be 
more  explicit,  I  should  be  the  better  able  to  understand 
you." 

"  I  can  not  be  more  explicit,"  she  answered;  "  such 
a  thing  is  out  of  my  power.  But  remember,  if  any 
thing  happens,  I  have  warned  you,  and  your  fate  will 
be  upon  your  own  head." 

"  But—      "  I  cried,  half  rising  from  my  seat. 

"Hush!"  she  answered.  "There  is  not  time  for 
more.  He  is  coming." 

A  moment  later  Pharos  entered  the  room.  He  had 
discarded  his  heavy  fur  coat  and  was  now  dressed  as  I 
had  seen  him  at  Medenham  House — that  is  to  say,  he 
wore  a  tight-fitting  black  velvet  coat  buttoned  high  up 
round  his  throat  and  .a  skullcap  of  the  same  material. 
He  had  scarcely  entered  the  room  before  dinner  was 
announced. 


-PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  107 

"  If  you  will  take  my  ward,"  he  said,  "  I  will  follow 
you." 

I  did  as  directed,  and  never  while  I  live  shall  I  for 
get  the  thrill  that  passed  through  me  as  I  felt  the  pres 
sure  of  her  tiny  hand  upon  my  arm.  Lovely  as  I  had 
always  thought  her,  I  had  never  seen  her  look  more 
beautiful  than  on  this  particular  evening.  As  I 
watched  her  proud  and  graceful  carriage,  I  could  well 
believe,  as  Lady  Medenham  had  said,  that  she  traced 
her  descent  from  one  of  the  oldest  families  in  Europe. 
There  was  something  about  her  that  I  could  not  under 
stand,  though  I  tried  repeatedly  to  analyze  it — a  vague, 
indescribable  charm  that  made  her  different  from  all 
other  women  I  had  ever  met. 

The  room  in  which  we  dined  was  a  more  sombre 
apartment  than  the  others  I  had  seen.  The  walls  were 
hung  with  heavy  tapestries,  unrelieved  by  light  or  bril 
liant  colour.  The  servants  also  struck  me  as  remark 
able.  They  were  tall,  elderly,  dark-skinned,  and,  if  the 
truth  must  be  told,  of  somewhat  saturnine  appearance, 
and  if  I  had  been  asked,  I  should  have  given  my  vote 
against  their  being  Italians.  They  did  their  duty  noise 
lessly  and  well,  but  their  presence  grated  upon  me,  very 
nrnch  as  Pharos's  had  done  on  the  first  three  occasions 
that  I  had  met  him.  Among  other  things,  one  singular 
circumstance  arrested  my  attention.  While  the  dinner 
was  in  every  respect  admirable,  and  would  not  have  dis 
credited  the  Maison  Doree,  or  the  Cafe  de  la  Paix, 
Pharos  did  not  partake  of  it.  At  the  commencement 
of  the  meal  a  dish  of  fruit  and  a  plate  of  small  flat 
cakes  were  placed  before  him.  He  touched  nothing 
else,  save,  when  we  had  finished,  to  fill  a  wineglass  with 
water  and  to  pour  into  it  a  spoonful  of  some  white 
powder,  which  he  took  from  a  small  silver  box  standing 
before  him.  This  he  tossed  off  at  one  draught. 


108  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.. 

"  You  are  evidently  surprised,"  he  said,  turning 
toward  me,  "  at  the  frugality  of  my  fare,  but  I  can 
assure  you  that  in  my  case  eating  has  been  reduced 
almost  to  a  vanishing  point.  Save  a  little  fruit  in  the 
morning,  and  a  glass  of  water  in  which  I  dissolve  one 
of  these  powders,  and  a  meal  similar  to  that  you  now 
see  me  making  in  the  evening,  I  take  nothing  else,  and 
yet  I  am  stronger  than  many  men  of  half  my  age.  If 
the  matter  interests  you  I  will  some  day  give  you  proof 
of  that." 

To  this  speech  I  made  some  reply  and  then  glanced 
at  the  Fraulein  Valerie.  Her  face  was  still  deathly 
pale,  and  I  could  see  by  the  way  her  hands  trembled 
above  her  plate  that  the  old  fellow's  words  had  in 
some  manner  been  the  cause  of  it.  Had  I  known 
as  much  then  as  I  do  now  I  should  no  doubt  have 
trembled  myself.  For  the  moment,  however,  I  thought 
she  must  be  ill,  and  should  have  said  as  much  had 
my  eyes  not  met  hers  and  found  them  imploring 
me  to  take  no  notice  of  her  agitation.  I  accord 
ingly  addressed  myself  to  Pharos  on  the  subject  of 
the  journey  from  Paris  to  Xaples,  and  thus  permitted 
her  time  to  recover  her  self-possession.  The  meal 
at  an  end,  she  rose  and  left  the  room,  not,  however, 
before  she  had  thrown  another  look  of  entreaty  at 
me,  which,  as  I  read  it,  seemed  to  say,  "  For  pity's 
sake  remember  where  you  are,  and  be  careful  what 
you  say  or  do!  " 

The  door  had  scarcely  closed  behind  her  before  an 
other  on  the  other  side  of  the  room  opened,  and  a 
servant  entered  carrying  in  his  arms  a  monkey  wrapped 
in  a  small  rug,  from  which  its  evil-looking  little  face 
peered  out  at  me  as  if  it  were  wondering  at  my  presence 
there.  Pharos  noticed  my  surprise. 

"  Let  me  make  you  acquainted  with  my  second 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  109 

self,"  he  said,  and  then  turning  to  the  monkey  con 
tinued,  "  Pehtes,  make  your  salutation." 

The  monkey,  however,  finding  himself  in  his  mas 
ter's  arms,  snuggled  himself  down  and  paid  no  more 
attention  to  me,  whereupon  Pharos  pushed  the  decan 
ters,  which  the  servant  had  placed  before  him,  toward 
me  and  invited  me  to  fill  my  glass. 

I  thanked  him,  but  declined. 

"  If  you  will  permit  me  to  say  so,  I  think  you  are 
foolish,"  he  answered.  "  I  have  been  often  compli 
mented  on  that  wine,  particularly  by  your  country 
men." 

I  wondered  who  the  countrymen  were  who  had  sat 
at  this  table  and  what  the  reason  could  have  been  that 
had  induced  them  to  accept  his  hospitality.  Could 
Legrath  have  been  among  the  number,  and,  if  so,  what 
was  the  terrible  connection  between  them?  For  ter 
rible  I  knew  it  must  have  been,  otherwise  it  would 
scarcely  have  made  Sir  George,  usually  the  most  self- 
contained  of  men,  betray  such  agitation  when  I  in 
quired  if  he  were  acquainted  with  the  name  of  Pharos. 

While  these  thoughts  were  passing  through  my 
mind  I  stole  a  glance  at  the  old  fellow  as  he  sat  at 
the  head  of  the  table,  propped  up  with  cushions,  and 
with  the  monkey's  evil  countenance  peeping  out  from 
his  hiding-place  under  the  other's  coat.  He  was  evi 
dently  in  an  expansive  mood  and  as  anxious  as  possible 
to  make  himself  agreeable.  The  first  horror  of  his 
presence  had  by  this  time  left  me,  and,  as  I  said  at  the 
commencement  of  this  chapter,  its  place  had  been 
taken  by  a  peculiar  interest  for  which  I  found  it  well- 
nigh  impossible  to  account. 

"  If  you  will  not  take  any  wine,  perhaps  you  will 
let  me  offer  you  a  cigarette,"  he  said,  after  I  had  de 
clined  his  previous  invitation.  "  I  am  not  a  smoker 
8 


110  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

myself,  but  those  who  do  enjoy  the  fragrant  weed  tell 
me  the  brand  is  excellent.  It  is  grown  on  one  of  my 
own  estates  in  Turkey,  and  can  be  obtained  nowhere 
else  in  the  world." 

So  saying  he  produced  a  small  silver  caoe  from  his 
pocket  and  handed  it  to  me.  I  took  one  of  the  cigar 
ettes  it  contained,  lit  it,  and  for  the  next  two  or  three 
minutes  sat  back  in  my  chair  silently  smoking.  The 
tobacco  was  excellent.  To  have  wasted  a  puff  of  that 
precious  smoke  in  conversation  would  have  been  a 
sacrilege  that  I  was  determined  not  to  commit.  Hav 
ing  finished  one,  I  was  easily  persuaded  to  take  an 
other,  and  was  compelled  to  declare  the  flavour  to  be 
even  better  than  the  first. 

"  I  am  delighted  to  see  that  you  enjoy  them,"  said 
Pharos. 

"  I  have  never  smoked  any  tobacco  like  it,"  I  re 
plied.  "  It  seems  hard  that  you  should  not  enjoy  it 
yourself." 

"  I  could  not  enjoy  it  in  a  happier  way,"  he  an 
swered,  "  than  through  my  friends.  I  am  amply  com 
pensated  when  I  see  the  pleasure  it  gives  them." 

After  this  philanthropic  contribution  to  the  con 
versation  of  the  evening  we  were  both  silent  again  for 
some  moments.  My  cigarette  was  half-finished,  but 
the  case,  still  nearly  full,  lay  upon  the  table  for  me 
to  help  myself  when  I  felt  inclined.  Little  by  little 
the  subtle  intoxication  of  the  weed  was  permeating  my 
whole  being;  a  gentle  languor  was  stealing  over  me, 
and  as  a  result  my  brain  had  never  before  seemed  so 
bright  or  my  capacity  of  enjoyment  so  keen  as  it  did 
then. 

"  If  you  will  not  take  wine  we  might  adjourn  to 
the  drawing-room,"  said  Pharos  at  last.  "  It  is  pos 
sible  we  may  be  able  to  induce  my  ward  to  give  us 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  HI 

some  music,  and  as  she  is  partial  to  the  aroma  of  these 
cigarettes,  I  think  I  may  assure  you  beforehand  that 
she  will  willingly  give  you  permission  to  smoke  in  her 
presence." 

Accordingly,  we  sought  the  drawing-room,  the  same 
in  which  the  beautiful  Hungarian  had  uttered  her 
curious  warning  to  me  earlier  in  the  evening.  She  was 
seated  in  the  same  chair  that  she  had  then  occupied, 
and  on  entering,  Pharos,  still  carrying  the  monkey  in 
his  arms,  crossed  and  patted  her  hand  in  a  grand- 
fatherly  fashion.  Kindly,  however,  as  the  action  ap 
peared  to  be,  I  noticed  that  she  trembled  beneath  it. 

"  I  have  assured  Mr.  Forrester,  my  dear  Valerie," 
he  said,  "  that  the  odour  of  tobacco  is  not  distasteful 
to  you,  and  that  you  will  permit  him  to  smoke  a  cigar 
ette  in  your  presence.  Was  I  not  right?  " 

"  Of  course  I  will  give  permission,"  she  answered, 
but  never  had  I  heard  her  voice  so  cold  and  monoto 
nous.  It  was  as  if  she  were  repeating  something  under 
compulsion.  At  any  other  time  I  should  have  declined 
to  avail  myself  of  what  I  could  not  help  thinking  was 
permission  grudgingly  given;  but  since  Pharos  in 
sisted,  and  the  Fraulein  begged  me  to  do  so,  I  at  length 
consented  and  made  a  further  raid  upon  the  case.  As 
soon  as  he  had  seen  the  cigarette  lighted  and  myself 
comfortably  seated,  Pharos  installed  himself  in  an  arm 
chair,  while  his  ward  wrapped  the  inevitable  rug  about 
his  knees.  Having  done  this  she  took  her  violin  from 
its  case,  and,  when  she  had  tuned  it,  took  up  her  posi 
tion  and  commenced  to  play.  I  had  still  the  same  feel 
ing,  however,  that  she  was  doing  it  under  compulsion, 
but  how  that  force  was  being  exerted,  and  for  what 
reason,  was  more  than  I  could  tell.  Once  more  the 
same  gentle  languor  I  had  felt  at  the  dinner-table 
began  to  steal  over  me  and  again  my  senses  became 


112  PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN. 

abnormally  acute.  Under  the  influence  of  the  music, 
new  ideas,  new  inspirations,  new  dreams  of  colour, 
crowded  upon  me  thick  and  fast.  In  the  humour  in 
which  I  was  then,  I  felt  that  there  was  nothing  I  could 
not  do,  no  achievement  of  which  I  was  not  capable. 
What  I  had  done  in  the  past  was  as  nothing  compared 
with  what  I  would  do  in  the  future.  With  this  man's 
help  I  would  probe  the  very  heart  of  Wisdom  and 
make  myself  conversant  with  her  secrets.  Through 
half-closed  eyes  I  could  see  the  violinist  standing  be 
fore  me,  and  it  was  as  if  her  white  hands  were  beckon 
ing  me  along  the  road  of  Fame.  I  turned  from  her  to 
Pharos,  and  found  him  still  seated  in  his  chair  with 
his  eyes  fixed  steadfastly  upon  me.  Then  the  cigarette 
came  to  an  end,  the  music  ceased,  and  with  a  choking 
sob  the  violinist,  unable  to  control  herself  any  longer, 
fled  from  the  room.  I  sprang  to  my  feet  and  hastened 
to  open  the  door  for  her,  but  was  too  late.  She  was 
gone. 

"  Mr.  Forrester,"  said  Pharos,  after  we  had  been 
alone  together  for  a  few  moments,  "  I  am  going  to 
make  a  proposition  to  you  which  I  shall  be  very  much 
honoured  if  you  can  see  your  way  to  accept." 

"  I  shall  be  better  able  to  tell  you  when  I  know 
what  it  is,"  I  answered. 

"  It  is  eminently  simple,"  he  continued.  "  It  is 
neither  more  nor  less  than  this.  I  am  the  possessor  of  a 
steam-yacht — a  comfortable  craft,  my  friends  tell  me — 
and  in  her  my  ward  and  I  start  to-morrow  for  Port 
Said,  en  route  for  Cairo." 

"For  Cairo?"  I  cried  in  amazement. 

"  For  Cairo,"  he  answered,  with  a  smile.  "  And 
why  not?  Cairo  is  a  most  delightful  place,  and  I  have 
important  business  in  Egypt.  Perhaps  you  can  guess 
what  that  business  is." 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  H3 

"  The  mummy?  "  I  answered  at  a  hazard. 

"  Exactly,"  he  replied,  nodding  his  head;  "  the 
mummy.  It  is  my  intention  to  restore  it  to  the  tomb 
from  which  your  father  sto — from  which,  shall  we  say, 
your  father  removed  it." 

"  And  your  proposition?  " 

"  Is  that  you  accompany  us.  The  opportunity  is 
one  you  should  not  let  slip.  You  will  have  a  chance 
of  seeing  the  land  of  the  Pharaohs  under  the  most 
favourable  auspices,  and  the  hints  you  should  derive 
for  future  work  should  be  invaluable  to  you.  What 
do  you  say?  " 

To  tell  the  truth  I  did  not  know  what  answer  to 
give.  I  had  all  my  life  long  had  a  craving  to  visit  that 
mysterious  country,  and,  as  I  have  said  elsewhere,  I 
had  quite  made  up  my  mind  to  do  so  at  the  end  of  the 
year.  Now  an  opportunity  was  afforded  me  of  carrying 
out  my  intentions,  and  in  a  most  luxurious  fashion.  I 
remembered  the  extraordinary  interest  Pharos  had  lent 
to  the  ruins  of  Pompeii  that  afternoon,  and  I  felt  sure 
that  in  Egypt,  since  it  was  his  native  country,  he  would 
be  able  to  do  much  more.  But  it  was  not  the  prospect 
of  what  I  should  learn  from  him  so  much  as  the  knowl 
edge  that  I  should  be  for  some  weeks  in  the  company  of 
Valerie  de  Yocxqal  that  tempted  me.  The  thought 
that  I  should  be  with  her  on  board  the  yacht,  and  that  I 
should  be  able  to  enjoy  her  society  uninterruptedly 
in  the  mystic  land  which  had  played  such  an  important 
part  in  my  career,  thrilled  me  to  the  centre  of  my 
being.  That  her  life  was  a  far  from  happy  one  I  was 
quite  convinced,  and  it  was  just  possible,  if  I  went  with 
them,  that  I  might  be  able  to  discover  the  seat  of  the 
trouble  and  perhaps  be  in  a  position  to  assist  her. 

"What  have  you  to  say  to  my  plan?"  inquired 
Pharos.  "  Does  not  the  idea  tempt  you?  " 


114  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

"  It  tempts  me  exceedingly,"  I  answered;  "  but  the 
fact  of  the  matter  is  I  had  no  intention  of  being  absent 
so  long  from  England." 

"  England  will  be  still  there  when  you  get  back," 
he  continued  with  a  laugh.  "  Come,  let  it  be  decided 
that  you  will  join  us.  I  think  I  can  promise  that  you 
will  enjoy  the  trip." 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  appear  discourteous,"  I  said, 
"  but  would  it  not  be  better  for  me  to  take  till  to 
morrow  morning  to  think  it  over?  " 

"  It  would  be  the  most  foolish  policy  possible,"  he 
answered,  "  for  in  that  case  I  feel  convinced  you  would 
find  some  reason  for  not  accepting  my  invitation,  and 
by  so  doing  would  deprive  yourself  of  a  chance  which, 
as  I  said  just  now,  may  never  come  again  in  your  life. 
If  Valerie  were  here  I  feel  sure  she  would  add  her 
voice  to  mine." 

The  mention  of  his  ward's  name  decided  me,  and, 
with  a  recklessness  that  forces  a  sigh  from  me  now,  I 
gave  my  promise  to  accompany  them. 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  hear  it,"  said  Pharos.  "  I  think 
you  have  decided  wisely.  We  shall  sail  to-morrow  even 
ing  at  ten  o'clock.  My  servants  will  call  for  your  lug 
gage  and  will  convey  it  and  you  on  board.  You  need 
not  trouble  yourself  in  any  way." 

I  thanked  him,  and  then,  finding  that  it  was  close 
upon  eleven  o'clock,  took  leave  of  him.  That  I  was 
disappointed  in  not  being  permitted  an  opportunity  of 
saying  farewell  to  his  ward  I  will  not  deny.  I  feared 
that  she  was  offended  with  me  for  not  having  taken  her 
advice  earlier  in  the  evening.  I  did  not  mention  the 
matter,  however,  to  Pharos,  but  bade  him  good-night, 
and,  declining  his  offer  to  send  me  home  in  his  car 
riage,  made  my  way  into  the  hall  and  presently  left  the 
house.  Having  crossed  the  courtyard,  the  ancient  gate- 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  H5 

keeper  passed  me  out  through  a  small  door  beside  the 
gates.  The  night  was  exceedingly  warm,  and  as  I 
stepped  into  the  street  the  moon  was  rising  above  the 
opposite  house-tops.  Having  made  inquiries  from 
Pharos,  I  had  no  doubt  of  being  able  to  make  my  way 
back  to  my  hotel.  Accordingly,  as  soon  as  I  had  re 
warded  the  concierge,  and  the  gate  had  closed  behind 
me,  I  set  off  down  the  pavement  at  a  brisk  pace.  I  had 
not  gone  very  far,  however,  before  a  door  opened  in  a 
garden  wall,  and  a  black  figure  stole  forth  and  ad 
dressed  me  by  my  name.  It  was  the  Fraulein  Valerie. 

"  Mr.  Forrester,"  she  said,  "  I  have  come  at  great 
risk  to  meet  you.  You  would  not  listen  to  me  this 
evening,  but  I  implore  you  to  do  so  now.  If  you  do 
not  heed  me  and  take  my  warning  it  may  be  too 
late." 

The  moon  shone  full  and  fair  upon  her  face,  re 
vealing  her  wonderful  beauty  and  adding  an  ethereal 
charm  to  it  which  I  had  never  noticed  it  possessed  be 
fore. 

"  Of  what  is  it  you  would  warn  me,  my  dear  lady?  " 
I  asked. 

"  I  can  not  tell  you,"  she  answered,  "  for  I  do  not 
know  myself.  But  of  this  I  am  certain,  since  he  has 
interested  himself  in  you  and  has  declared  his  desire 
for  your  friendship,  it  can  not  be  for  your  good.  You 
do  not  know  him  as  I  do.  You  have  no  idea,  it  is  im 
possible  you  should,  of  what  he  is.  For  your  own  sake, 
Mr.  Forrester,  draw  back  while  you  have  time.  Have 
no  more  to  do  with  him.  Shun  his  society,  whatever  it 
casts  you.  You  smile!  Ah,  if  you  only  knew!  I  tell 
you  this — it  would  be  better,  far  better,  for  you  to  die 
than  to  fall  into  his  power." 

I  was  touched  by  the  earnestness  with  which  she 
spoke,  but  more  by  the  sadness  of  her  face. 


116  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

"  Fraulein,"  I  said,  "  you  speak  as  if  you  had  done 
that  yourself." 

"  I  have,"  she  answered.  "  I  am  in  his  power,  and, 
as  a  result,  I  am  lost  body  and  soul.  It  is  for  that 
reason  I  would  save  you.  Take  warning  by  what  I 
have  said  and  leave  Naples  to-night.  Never  mind  where 
you  go — go  to  Kussia,  to  America,  bury  yourself  in  the 
wilds  of  Siberia  or  Kamchatka — but  get  beyond  his 
reach." 

"  It  is  too  late,"  I  answered.  "  The  die  is  cast, 
for  I  have  promised  to  sail  with  him  to  Egypt  to 
morrow." 

On  hearing  this  she  uttered  a  little  cry  and  took  a 
step  away  from  me. 

"'  You  have  promised  to  visit  Egypt  with  him?  " 
she  cried,  as  if  she  could  scarcely  believe  she  heard 
aright.  "  Oh!  Mr.  Forrester,  what  can  you  be  think 
ing  of  ?  I  tell  you  it  is  fatal,  suicidal!  If  you  have  any 
regard  for  your  own  safety  you  will  get  away  to-night, 
this  very  moment,  and  never  return  to  Naples  or  see 
him  again." 

In  her  agitation  she  clutched  at  my  arm  and  held 
it  tightly.  I  could  feel  that  she  was  trembling  vio 
lently.  Her  touch,  however,  instead  of  effecting  the 
purpose  she  had  in  view,  decided  me  on  a  contrary 
course. 

"  Fraulein,"  I  said  in  a  voice  I  should  not  at  any 
other  time  have  recognised  as  my  own,  "  you  tell  me 
that  this  man  has  you  in  his  power?  You  warn  me 
of  the  dangers  I  run  by  permitting  myself  to  associate 
with  him,  and,  having  risked  so  much  for  me,  you  ex 
pect  me  to  go  away  and  leave  you  to  his  mercy.  I  fear 
you  must  have  a  very  poor  opinion  of  me." 

"  I  am  only  trying  to  save  you,"  she  answered. 
"  The  first  day  I  saw  you  I  read  disaster  in  your 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  117 

face,  and  from  that  moment  I  desired  to  prevent 
it." 

"  But  if  you  are  so  unhappy,  why  do  you  not  at 
tempt  to  save  yourself?  "  1  asked.  "  Come,  I  will  make 
a  bargain  with  you.  If  I  am  to  fly  from  this  man,  you 
must  do  so  too.  Let  us  set  off  this  moment.  You  are 
beyond  the  walls  now.  Will  you  trust  yourself  to  me? 
There  is  a  steamer  in  the  harbour  sailing  at  midnight. 
Let  us  board  her  and  sail  for  Genoa,  thence  anywhere 
you  please.  I  have  money,  and  I  give  you  my  word  of 
honour  as  a  gentleman  that  I  will  leave  nothing  un 
done  to  promote  your  safety  and  your  happiness.  Let 
us  start  at  once  and  in  half  an  hour  we  shall  be  rid  of 
him  forever.'' 

As  I  said  this  I  took  her  arm  and  endeavoured  to 
lead  her  down  the  pavement,  but  she  would  not  move. 

"  No,  no,"  she  said  in  a  frightened  whisper.  "  You 
do  not  know  what  you  are  asking  of  me.  Such  a  thing 
is  impossible — hopelessly  impossible.  However  much  I 
may  desire  to  do  so  I  can  not  escape.  I  am  chained 
to  him  for  life  by  a  bond  that  is  stronger  than  fetters 
of  steel.  I  can  not  leave  him.  0  God!  I  can  not 
leave  him! " 

She  fell  back  against  the  wall  and  once  more  cov 
ered  her  face  with  her  hands,  while  her  slender  frame 
shook  with  convulsive  sobs. 

"  So  be  it  then,"  I  said;  and  as  I  did  so  I  took  off 
my  hat.  "  If  you  will  not  leave  him,  I  swear  before 
God  I  will  not  go  alone!  It  is  settled,  and  I  sail  with 
him  for  Egypt  to-morrow." 

She  did  not  attempt  to  dissuade  me  further,  but, 
making  her  way  to  the  door  in  the  wall  through  which 
she  had  entered  the  street,  opened  it  and  disappeared 
within.  I  heard  the  bolts  pushed  to,  and  then  I  was  in 
the  street  alone. 


118  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

"  The  die  is  cast/'  I  said  to  myself.  "  Whether 
good  or  evil,  I  accompany  her  to-morrow,  and,  once 
with  her,  I  will  not  leave  her  until  I  am  certain  that 
she  no  longer  requires  my  help." 

Then  I  resumed  my  walk  to  my  hotel. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  clocks  of  the  city  had  struck  ten  on  the  fol 
lowing  evening  when  I  left  the  carriage  which  Pharos 
had  sent  to  convey  me  to  the  harbour,  and,  escorted  by 
his  servant,  the  same  who  had  sat  beside  the  coachman 
on  the  occasion  of  our  drive  home  from  Pompeii  on 
the  previous  evening,  made  my  way  down  the  landing- 
stage  and  took  my  place  in  the  boat  which  was  wait 
ing  to  carry  me  to  the  yacht. 

Throughout  the  day  I  had  seen  nothing  either  of 
Pharos  or  his  ward,  nor  had  I  heard  anything  from 
the  former  save  a  message  to  the  effect  that  he  had 
made  arrangements  for  my  getting  on  board.  But  if  I 
had  not  seen  them  I  had  at  least  thought  about  them 
— so  much  so,  indeed,  that  I  had  scarcely  closed  my 
eyes  all  night.  And  the  more  attention  I  bestowed 
upon  them  the  more  difficult  I  found  it  to  account  for 
the  curious  warning  I  had  received  from  the  Fraulein 
Valerie.  What  the  danger  was  which  threatened  me  it 
was  beyond  my  power  to  tell.  I  endeavoured  to  puzzle 
it  out,  but  in  vain.  Had  it  not  been  for  that  scene  on 
the  Embankment,  and  his  treatment  of  me  in  my  own 
studio,  to  say  nothing  of  the  suspicions  I  had  errone 
ously  entertained  against  him  in  respect  of  the  murder 
of  the  curiosity  dealer,  I  should  in  all  probability  have 
attributed  it  to  a  mere  womanly  superstition  which, 
although  it  appeared  genuine  enough  to  her,  had  no 
sort  of  foundation  in  fact.  Knowing,  however,  what 

119 


120  PHAKOS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

I  did,  I  could  see  that  it  behooved  me,  if  only  for  the 
sake  of  my  own  safety,  to  be  more  than  cautious,  and 
when  I  boarded  the  yacht  I  did  so  with  a  full  deter 
mination  to  keep  my  eyes  wide  open,  and  to  be  pre 
pared  for  trouble  whenever  or  in  whatever  shape  it 
might  come. 

On  gaining  the  deck  I  was  received  by  an  elderly 
individual  whom  I  afterward  discovered  to  be  the  cap 
tain.  He  informed  me  in  French  that  both  Monsieur 
Pharos  and  the  Fraulein  Valerie  had  already  arrived 
on  board  and  had  retired  to  their  cabins.  The  former 
had  given  instructions  that  everything  possible  was 
to  be  done  to  promote  my  comfort,  and,  having  said 
this,  the  captain  surrendered  me  to  the  charge  of  the 
servant  who  had  escorted  me  on  board,  and,  bowing 
reverentially  to  me,  made  some  excuse  about  seeing 
the  yacht  under  way  and  went  forward.  At  the  re 
quest  of  the  steward  I  passed  along  the  deck  to  the 
after-companion  ladder,  and  thence  to  the  saloon  be 
low.  The  evidence  of  wealth  I  had  had  before  me  in 
the  house  in  Naples  had  prepared  me  in  some  measure 
for  the  magnificent  vessel  in  which  I  now  found  my 
self;  nevertheless,  I  must  confess  to  feeling  astonished 
at  the  luxury  I  saw  displayed  on  every  side  The 
saloon  must  have  been  upward  of  thirty  feet  long  by 
eighteen  wide,  and  one  glance  round  it  showed  me  that 
the  decorations,  the  carpet,  and  the  furniture,  were  the 
best  that  taste  and  money  could  procure.  AYith  noise 
less  footfall  the  steward  conducted  me  across  the  sa 
loon,  and,  opening  a  door  on  the  port  side,  introduced 
me  to  my  cabin. 

My  luggage  had  preceded  me,  and,  as  it  was  now 
close  upon  eleven  o'clock,  I  determined  to  turn  in  and, 
if  possible,  get  to  sleep  before  the  vessel  started. 

When  I  woke  in  the  morning  we  were  at  sea.    Bril- 


PHAEOS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  121 

liant  sunshine  streamed  in  through  the  port-hole  and 
danced  on  the  white  and  gold  panelling  of  the  cabin. 
Smart  seas  rattled  against  the  hull  and  set  the  little 
craft  rolling  till  I  began  to  think  it  was  as  well  I  was  a 
good  sailor,  otherwise  I  should  scarcely  have  looked 
forward  with  such  interest  to  the  breakfast  I  could 
hear  preparing  in  the  saloon  outside. 

As  soon  as  I  had  dressed  I  made  my  way  to  the 
deck.  It  was  a  lovely  morning,  a  bright  blue  sky  over 
head,  with  a  few  snow-white  clouds  away  to  the  south 
west  to  afford  relief  and  to  add  to  the  beauty  of  the 
picture.  A  smart  sea  was  running,  and  more  than  once 
I  had  to  make  a  bolt  for  the  companion-ladder  in  order 
to  escape  the  spray  which  came  whistling  over  the 
bulwarks. 

In  the  daylight  the  yacht  looked  bigger  than  she 
had  done  on  the  previous  night.  At  a  rough  guess  she 
scarcely  could  have  been  less  than  four  hundred  tons. 
Her  captain,  so  I  afterward  discovered,  was  a  Greek, 
but  of  what  nationality  her  crew  were  composed  I  was 
permitted  no  opportunity  of  judging.  One  thing  is 
very  certain — they  were  not  English,  nor  did  their  be 
haviour  realise  my  notion  of  the  typical  sailor.  There 
was  none  of  that  good-humoured  chaff  or  horseplay 
which  is  supposed  to  characterise  the  calling.  These 
men,  for  the  most  part,  were  middle-aged,  taciturn  and 
gloomy  fellows,  who  did  their  work  with  automaton- 
like  regularity,  but  without  interest  or  apparent  good 
will.  The  officers,  with  the  exception  of  the  captain, 
I  had  not  yet  seen. 

Punctually  on  the  stroke  of  eight  bells  a  steward 
emerged  from  the  companion  and  came  aft  to  inform 
me  that  breakfast  was  served.  I  inquired  if  my  host 
and  hostess  were  in  the  saloon,  but  was  informed  that 
Pharos  made  it  a  rule  never  to  rise  before  midday,  and 


122  PHAROS,  THE   EGYPTIAN. 

that  on  this  occasion  the  Fraulein  Valerie  intended 
taking  the  meal  in  her  own  cabin  and  begged  me  to 
excuse  her.  Accordingly,  I  sat  down  alone,  and  when 
I  had  finished  returned  to  the  deck  and  lit  a  cigar. 
The  sea  by  this  time  had  moderated  somewhat  and  the 
vessel  in  consequence  was  making  better  progress.  For 
upward  of  half  an  hour  I  tramped  the  deck  religiously 
and  then  returned  to  my  favourite  position  aft.  Lean 
ing  my  elbows  on  the  rail,  I  stood  gazing  at  the  curd 
ling  wake,  watching  the  beautiful  blending  of  white 
and  green  created  by  the  screw. 

I  was  still  occupied  in  this  fashion  when  I  heard 
my  name  spoken,  and,  turning,  found  the  Fraulein 
Valerie  standing  before  me.  She  was  dressed  in  some 
dark  material,  which  not  only  suited  her  complexion 
but  displayed  the  exquisite  outline  of  her  figure  to  per 
fection. 

"  Good-morning,  Mr.  Forrester,"  she  said,  holding 
out  her  white  hand  to  me.  "  I  must  apologise  to  you 
for  my  rudeness  in  not  having  joined  you  at  breakfast; 
but  I  was  tired  and  did  not  feel  equal  to  getting  up 
so  early." 

There  was  a  troubled  look  in  her  eyes  which  told 
me  that  while  she  had  not  forgotten  our  interview  of 
two  nights  before,  she  was  determined  not  to  refer  to 
it  in  any  way  or  even  to  permit  me  to  suppose  that  she 
remembered  it.  I  accordingly  resolved  to  follow  her 
example,  though,  if  the  truth  must  be  confessed,  there 
were  certain  questions  I  was  more  than  desirous  of  put 
ting  to  her. 

"  Since  you  are  on  deck  the  first  morning  out,  I 
presume  you  are  fond  of  the  sea?  "  I  said,  in  a  matter- 
of-fact  voice,  after  we  had  been  standing  together  for 
some  moments. 

"  I  love  it,"  she  answered  fervently;  "  and  the  more 


PHAROS,  THE   EGYPTIAN.  123 

so  because  I  am  a  good  sailor.  In  the  old  days,  when 
my  father  was  alive,  I  was  never  happier  than  when  we 
were  at  sea,  away  from  land  and  all  its  attendant 
troubles." 

She  paused,  and  I  saw  her  eyes  fill  with  tears.  In 
a  few  moments,  however,  she  recovered  her  composure 
and  began  to  talk  of  the  various  countries  with  which 
we  were  mutually  acquainted.  As  it  soon  transpired, 
she  had  visited  almost  every  capital  in  Europe  since  she 
had  been  with  Pharos,  but  for  what  purpose  I  could 
not  discover.  The  most  eastern  side  of  Russia  and  the 
most  western  counties  of  England  were  equally  well 
known  to  her.  In  an  unguarded  moment  I  asked  her 
which  city  she  preferred. 

"  Is  it  possible  I  could  have  any  preference?  "  she 
asked,  almost  reproachfully.  "  If  you  were  condemned 
to  imprisonment  for  life,  do  you  think  it  would  matter 
to  you  what  colour  your  captors  painted  your  cell,  or 
of  what  material  the  wall  was  composed  that  you  looked 
upon  through  your  barred  windows?  Such  is  my  case. 
My  freedom  is  gone,  and  for  that  reason  I  take  no  sort 
of  interest  in  the  places  to  which  my  gaoler  leads  me." 

To  this  speech  I  offered  no  reply,  nor  could  I  see 
that  one  was  needed.  We  were  standing  upon  danger 
ous  ground  and  I  hastened  to  get  off  it  as  soon  as  pos 
sible.  I  fear,  however,  I  must  have  gone  clumsily  to 
work,  for  she  noticed  my  endeavour  and  smiled  a  little 
bitterly,  I  thought.  Then,  making  some  excuse,  she 
left  me  and  returned  below. 

It  was  well  past  midday  before  Pharos  put  in  an 
appearance.  Whether  at  sea  or  ashore  he  made  no  dif 
ference  in  his  costume.  He  wore  the  same  heavy  coat 
and  curious  cap  that  I  remembered  seeing  that  night 
at  Cleopatra's  Needle. 

"  I  fear,  my  dear  Forrester,"  he  said,  "  you  will 


124:  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN". 

think  me  a  discourteous  host  for  not  having  remained 
on  deck  last  night  to  receive  you.  My  age,  however, 
must  be  my  excuse.  I  trust  you  have  been  made  com 
fortable?" 

"  The  greatest  Sybarite  could  scarcely  desire  to  be 
more  comfortable/'  I  answered.  "  I  congratulate  you 
upon  your  vessel  and  her  appointments." 

"  Yes,"  he  answered,  looking  along  the  deck,  "  she 
is  a  good  little  craft,  and,  as  you  may  suppose,  exceed 
ingly  useful  to  me  at  times." 

As  he  said  this  a  curious  expression  came  into  his 
face.  It  was  as  if  the  memory  of  an  occasion  on  which 
this  vessel  had  carried  him  beyond  the  reach  of  pursuit 
had  suddenly  occurred  to  him.  •  Exquisite,  however, 
as  the  pleasure  it  afforded  him  seemed  to  be,  I  can  not 
say  that  it  pleased  me  as  much.  It  revived  unpleasant 
memories,  and  just  at  the  time  when  I  was  beginning 
to  forget  my  first  distrust  of  him. 

After  a  few  moments'  further  conversation  he  ex 
pressed  a  desire  to  show  me  the  vessel,  an  invitation 
which,  needless  to  say,  I  accepted  with  alacrity.  We 
first  visited  the  smoking-room  on  deck,  then  the  bridge, 
after  that  the  engine-room,  and  later  on  the  men's 
quarters  forward.  Eetracing  our  steps  aft  we  descended 
to  the  saloon,  upon  the  beauty  of  which  I  warmly  con 
gratulated  him. 

"  I  am  rejoiced  that  it  meets  with  your  approval," 
he  said  gravely.  "  It  is  usually  admired.  And  now, 
having  seen  all  this,  perhaps  it  would  interest  you  to 
inspect  the  quarters  of  the  owner." 

This  was  exactly  what  I  desired  to  do,  for  from  a 
man's  sleeping  quarters  it  is  often  possible  to  obtain 
some  clue  as  to  his  real  character. 

Bidding  me  follow  him,  he  led  me  along  the  saloon 
to  a  cabin  at  the  farther  end.  With  the  remembrance 


PHAROS,  THE   EGYPTIAN.  125 

of  all  I  had  seen  in  the  other  parts  of  the  vessel  still 
fresh  in  my  mind,  I  was  prepared  to  find  the  owner's 
herth  replete  with  every  luxury.  My  surprise  may 
therefore  be  imagined  when  I  discovered  a  tiny  cabin, 
scarcely  half  the  size  of  that  occupied  by  myself,  not 
only  devoid  of  luxury,  but  lacking  much  of  what  is 
usually  considered  absolutely  necessary.  On  the  star 
board  side  was  the  bunk,  a  plain  wooden  affair,  in 
which  were  neatly  folded  several  pairs  of  coarse  woollen 
blankets.  Against  the  bulwark  was  the  wash-hand 
stand,  and  under  the  port  a  settee,  covered  with  a  fur 
rug,  on  which  was  curled  up  the  monkey  Pehtes.  That 
was  all.  Nay,  I  am  wrong — it  was  not  all.  For  in  a 
corner,  carefully  secured  so  that  the  movement  of  the 
vessel  should  not  cause  it  to  fall,  was  no  less  a  thing 
than  the  mummy  Pharos  had  stolen  from  me,  and 
which  was  the  first  and  foremost  cause  of  my  being 
where  I  was.  From  what  he  had  told  me  of  his  errand 
I  had  surmised  it  might  be  on  board;  but  I  confess  I 
scarcely  expected  to  find  it  in  the  owner's  cabin.  With 
the  sight  of  it  the  recollection  of  my  studio  rose  before 
my  eyes,  and  not  only  of  the  studio,  but  of  that  terrible 
night  when  the  old  man  now  standing  beside  me  had 
called  upon  me  and  had  used  such  diabolical  means  to 
obtain  possession  of  the  thing  he  wanted.  In  reality 
it  was  scarcely  a  week  since  Lady  Medenham's  "  at 
home";  but  the  gulf  that  separated  the  man  I  was 
then  from  the  man  I  was  now  seemed  one  of  centuries. 
Accompanied  by  Pharos  I  returned  to  the  deck, 
convinced  that  I  was  as  far  removed  from  an  under 
standing  of  this  strange  individual's  character  as  I  had 
been  since  I  had  known  him.  Of  the  Fraulein  Valerie 
I  saw  nothing  until  late  in  the  afternoon.  She  was 
suffering  from  a  severe  headache,  so  the  steward  in 
formed  Pharos,  and  was  not  equal  to  leaving  her  cabin. 
9 


126  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

That  this  news  was  not  palatable  to  my  companion 
I  gathered  from  the  way  in  which  his  face  darkened. 
However,  he  pretended  to  feel  only  solicitude  for  her 
welfare,  and,  having  instructed  the  steward  to  convey 
his  sympathy  to  her,  returned  to  his  conversation  with 
me.  In  this  fashion,  reading,  talking,  and  perambulat 
ing  the  deck,  the  remainder  of  the  day  passed  away, 
and  it  was  not  until  we  sat  down  to  dinner  at  night 
that  our  party  in  the  saloon  was  united.  On  board 
the  yacht,  as  in  his  house  in  Naples,  the  cooking  was 
perfection  itself,  but,  as  on  that  other  occasion,  Pharos 
did  not  partake  of  it.  He  dined  as  usual  upon  fruit  and 
small  wheaten  cakes,  finishing  his  meal  by  pouring  the 
powder  into  the  glass  of  water  and  drinking  it  off  as 
before. 

When  we  rose  from  the  table  my  host  and  hostess 
retired  to  their  respective  cabins,  while  I  lit  a  cigar 
and  went  on  deck.  The  sun  was  just  disappearing  be 
low  the  horizon  and  a  wonderful  hush  had  fallen  upon 
the  sea.  Scarcely  a  ripple  disturbed  its  glassy  surface, 
while  the  track  the  vessel  left  behind  her  seemed  to 
lead  across  the  world  into  the  very  eye  of  the  sinking 
sun  beyond.  There  was  something  awe-inspiring  in 
the  beauty  and  stillness  of  the  evening.  It  was  like  the 
hush  that  precedes  a  violent  storm,  and  seeing  the  cap 
tain  near  the  entrance  to  the  smoking-room,  I  made  my 
way  along  the  deck  and  accosted  him,  inquiring  what 
he  thought  of  the  weather. 

"  I  scarcely  know  what  to  think  of  it,  monsieur," 
he  answered  in  French.  "  The  glass  has  fallen  consid 
erably  since  morning.  My  own  opinion  is  that  it  is 
working  up  for  a  storm." 

I  agreed  with  him,  and  after  a  few  moments'  more 
conversation,  thanked  him  for  his  courtesy  and  re 
turned  aft. 


PHAROS,  THE   EGYPTIAN.  127 

Eeaching  the  skylight,  I  seated  myself  upon  it. 
The  glasses  were  lifted  and  through  the  open  space  I 
could  see  into  the  saloon  below.  The  mellow  light  of 
the  shaded  electric  lamps  shone  upon  the  rich  decora 
tions  and  the  inlaid  furniture  and  was  reflected  in  the 
mirrors  on  the  walls.  As  far  as  I  could  see  jio  one  was 
present.  I  was  about  to  rise  and  move  away  when  a 
sound  came  from  the  Friiulein  Valerie's  cabin  that 
caused  me  to  remain  where  I  was.  Someone  was  speak 
ing,  and  that  person  was  a  woman.  Knowing  there  was 
no  other  of  her  sex  on  board,  this  puzzled  me  more  than 
I  can  say.  The  voice  was  harsh,  monotonous,  un 
musical,  and  grated  strangely  upon  the  ear.  There 
was  a  pause,  then  another,  which  I  instantly  recognised 
as  belonging  to  Pharos,  commenced. 

I  had  no  desire  to  play  the  eavesdropper,  but  for 
some  reason  which  I  can  not  explain  I  could  not  choose 
but  listen. 

"  Come,"  Pharos  was  saying  in  German,  "  thou 
canst  not  disobey  me.  Hold  my  hand  so,  open  thine 
eyes,  and  tell  me  what  thou  seest !  " 

There  was  a  pause  for  a  space  in  which  I  could 
have  counted  fifty.  Then  the  woman's  voice  answered 
as  slowly  and  monotonously  as  before: 

"  I  see  a  sandy  plain,  which  stretches  as  far  as  the 
eye  can  reach  in  all  directions  save  one.  On  that  side 
it  is  bordered  by  a  range  of  hills.  I  see  a  collection  of 
tents,  and  in  the  one  nearest  me  a  man  tossing  on  a 
bed  of  sickness." 

"  Is  it  he?    The  man  thou  knowest?  " 

There  was  another  pause,  and  when  she  answered, 
the  woman's  voice  was  even  harsher  than  before: 

"  It  is  he." 

"  What  dost  thou  see  now?  " 

"  I  am  in  the  dark,  and  see  nothing." 


128  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

"  Hold  my  hand  and  wait,  thou  wilt  see  more  plain 
ly  anon.  Now  that  thine  eyes  are  accustomed  to  the 
darkness,  describe  to  me  the  place  in  which  thou  staiid- 
est." 

There  was  another  interval.   Then  she  hegan  again: 

"  I  am  in  a  dark  and  gloomy  cavern.  The  roof  is 
supported  by  heavy  pillars,  and  they  are  carved  in  a 
style  I  have  never  seen  before.  On  the  ceilings  and 
walls  are  paintings,  and  lying  on  a  slab  of  stone — a 
dead  man ! " 

Once  more  there  was  a  long  silence,  until  I  began 
to  think  that  I  must  have  missed  the  next  question  and 
answer,  and  that  this  extraordinary  catechism  had  ter 
minated.  Then  the  voice  of  Pharos  recommenced: 

"  Place  thine  hand  in  mine  and  look  once  more." 

This  time  the  answer  was  even  more  bewildering 
than  before. 

"  I  see  death,''  said  the  voice.  "  Death  on  every 
hand.  It  continues  night  and  day,  and  the  world  is 
full  of  wailing! " 

"  It  is  well,  I  am  satisfied,"  said  Pharos.  "  Xow 
lie  down  and  sleep.  In  an  hour  thou  wilt  wake  and 
wilt  remember  naught  of  what  thou  hast  revealed  to 
me." 

Unable  to  make  anything  of  what  I  had  heard,  I 
rose  from  the  place  where  I  had  been  sitting  and  began 
to  pace  the  deck.  The  remembrance  of  the  conver 
sation  to  which  I  had  listened  .  irritated  me  beyond 
measure.  Had  I  been  permitted  another  insight  into 
the  deviltry  of  Pharos,  or  what  was  the  meaning  of 
it?  I  was  still  thinking  of  this  when  I  heard  a  step 
behind  me,  and  turning,  found  the  man  himself  ap 
proaching  me.  In  the  dim  light  of  the  deck  the  ap 
pearance  he  presented  was  not  prepossessing,  but  when 
he  approached  me  I  discovered  he  was  in  the  best  of 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  129 

humours,  in  fact  in  better  spirits  than  I  had  ever  yet 
seen  him. 

"  1  have  been  looking  for  you,  Mr.  Forrester,"  he 
said.  "  It  is  delightful  on  deck.,  and  I  am  in  just  the 
humour  for  a  chat." 

I  felt  an  inclination  to  tell  him  that  I  was  not  so 
ready,  but  before  I  could  give  him  an  answer  he  had 
noticed  my  preoccupation. 

"  You  have  something  on  your  mind,"  he  said.  "  I 
fear  you  are  not  as  pleased  with  my  hospitality  as  I 
could  wish  you  to  be.  What  is  amiss?  Is  there  any 
thing  I  can  do  to  help  you?  " 

"  Nothing,  I  thank  you,"  I  answered  a  little  stiffly. 
"  I  have  a  slight  headache  and  am  not  much  disposed 
for  conversation  this  evening." 

Though  the  excuse  I  made  was  virtually  true,  I  did 
not  tell  him  that  I  had  only  felt  it  since  I  had  over 
heard  his  conversation  a  few  minutes  before. 

"  You  must  let  me  cure  you,"  he  answered.  "  I  am 
vain  enough  to  flatter  myself  I  have  some  knowledge  of 
medicine." 

I  was  beginning  to  wonder  if  there  was  anything 
of  which  he  was  ignorant.  At  the  same  time  I  was  so 
suspicious  of  him  that  I  had  no  desire  to  permit  him  to 
practise  his  arts  on  me.  I  accordingly  thanked  him, 
but  declined  his  services,  on  the  pretext  that  my  indis 
position  was  too  trifling  to  call  for  so  much  trouble. 

"  As  you  will,"  he  answered  carelessly.  "  If  you 
are  not  anxious  to  be  cured,  you  must,  of  course, 
continue  to  suffer." 

So  saying,  he  changed  the  subject,  and  for  upward 
of  half  an  hour  we  wandered  in  the  realm  of  art,  dis 
cussing  the  methods  of  painters  past  and  present. 
Upon  this  subject,  as  upon  every  other,  I  was  amazed 
at  the  extent  and  depth  of  his  learning.  His  taste,  I 


130  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

discovered,  was  cosmopolitan,  but  if  he  had  any  prefer 
ence  it  was  for  the  early  Tuscan  school.  We  were  still 
debating  this  point  when  a  dark  figure  emerged  from 
the  companion  and  came  along  the  deck  toward  us. 
Seeing  that  it  was  the  Fraulein  Valerie,  I  rose  from 
my  chair. 

**  How  hot  the  night  is.  Mr.  Forrester!  "  she  said. 
as  she  came  up  to  us.  "  There  is  thunder  in  the  air. 
I  am  sure,  and  if  I  am  not  mistaken  we  shall  have  a 
storm  before  morning." 

"  I  think  it  more  than  likely,"'  I  answered.  "  It  is 
extremely  oppressive  below. " 

"  It  is  almost  unbearable/'  she  answered.  as  she 
took  the  seat  I  offered  her.  "  Notwithstanding  that 
fact,  I  believe  I  must  have  fallen  asleep  in  my  cabin, 
for  I  can  not  remember  what  I  have  been  doing  since 
dinner." 

Recalling  the  conversation  I  had  overheard,  and 
which  had  concluded  with  the  instruction.  "In  an 
hour  thou  wilt  wake  and  wilt  remember  naught  of 
what  thou  hast  revealed  to  me,''  I  glanced  at  Pharos; 
but  his  face  told  me  nothing. 

"  I  fear  you  are  not  quite  yourself,  my  dear."  said 
the  latter  in  a  kindly  tone,  as  he  leaned  toward  her 
and  placed  his  skinny  hand  upon  her  arm.  "  As  you 
say,  it  must  be  the  thundery  evening.  Our  friend  For 
rester  here  is  complaining  of  a  headache.  Though  he 
will  not  let  me  experiment  upon  him,  I  think  I  shall 
have  to  see  what  I  can  do  for  you.  I  will  consult  my 
medicine  chest  at  once." 

With  this  he  rose  from  his  seat  and,  bidding  us 
farewell,  went  below. 

Presently  the  Fraulein  rose  and  side  by  side  we 
walked  aft  to  the  taffrail.  Though  I  did  my  best  to 
rouse  her  from  the  lethargy  into  which  she  had  fallen, 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  131 

I  was  unsuccessful.  She  stood  with  her  slender  hands 
clasping  the  rail  before  her  and  her  great,  dark  eyes 
staring  out  across  the  waste  of  water.  Xever  had  she 
looked  more  beautiful  and  certainly  never  more  sad. 
Her  unhappiness  touched  me  to  the  heart,  and,  under 
the  influence  of  my  emotion,  I  approached  a  little 
nearer  to  her. 

"  You  are  unhappy,"  I  said.  "  Is  there  no  way  in 
which  I  can  help  you?  " 

"  Xot  one/' she  answered  bitterly,  still  gazing  stead 
fastly  out  to  sea.  "  I  am  beyond  the  reach  of  help. 
Can  you  realise  what  it  means,  Mr.  Forrester,  to  be  be 
yond  the  reach  of  help  ?  " 

The  greatest  tragedienne  the  world  has  seen  could 
not  have  invested  those  terrible  words  with  greater  or 
more  awful  meaning. 

"  Xo,  no/'  I  said;  "  I  can  not  believe  that.  You 
are  overwrought  to-night.  Y^ou  are  not  yourself.  You 
say  things  you  do  not  mean." 

This  time  she  turned  on  me  almost  fiercely. 

"  Mr.  Forrester,"  she  said.  "  you  try  to  console  me; 
but,  as  I  am  beyond  the  reach  of  help,  so  I  am  also 
beyond  the  reach  of  comfort.  If  you  could  have  but 
the  slightest  conception  of  what  my  life  is,  you  would 
not  wonder  that- 1  am  so  wretched." 

'•'  Will  you  not  tell  me  about  it?  "  I  answered.  "  I 
think  you  know  by  this  time  that  I  may  be  trusted." 
Then,  sinking  my  voice  a  little,  I  added  a  sentence  that 
I  could  scarcely  believe  I  had  uttered  when  the  words 
had  passed  my  lips.  "  Valerie,  if  you  do  not  already 
know  it,  let  me  tell  you  that,  although  we  have  not 
known  each  other  a  fortnight,  I  would  give  my  life  to 
serve  you." 

"  And  I  believe  you  and  thank  you  for  it  from  the 
bottom  of  my  heart,"  she  answered  with  equal  earnest- 


132  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

ness;  "  but  I  can  tell  you  nothing."  Then,  after  an 
interval  of  silence  that  must  have  lasted  for  some 
minutes,  she  declared  her  intention  of  going  below. 

I  accompanied  her  as  far  as  the  saloon,  where  she 
once  more  gave  me  her  hand  and  wished  me  good 
night.  As  soon  as  her  door  had  closed  behind  her  I 
went  to  my  own  cabin,  scarcely  able  to  realise  that  I 
had  said  what  I  had. 

I  do  not  know  whether  it  was  the  heat,  or  whether 
it  was  the  excitement  under  which  I  was  labouring.  At 
any  rate,  I  soon  discovered  that  I  could  not  sleep. 
Valerie's  beautiful,  sad  face  haunted  me  continually. 
Hour  after  hour  I  lay  awake,  thinking  of  her  and  won 
dering  what  the  mystery  could  be  that  surrounded  her. 
The  night  was  oppressively  still.  Save  the  throbbing 
of  the  screw,  not  a  sound  was  to  be  heard.  The  yacht 
was  upon  an  even  keel,  and  scarcely  a  wavelet  splashed 
against  her  side.  At  last  I  could  bear  the  stifling  cabin 
no  longer,  so,  rising  from  my  bunk,  I  dressed  myself 
and  sought  the  coolness  of  the  deck.  It  was  now  close 
upon  one  o'clock,  and  when  I  emerged  from  the  com 
panion  the  moon  was  a  hand's-breadth  above  the  sea 
line,  rising  like  a  ball  of  gold.  I  seemed  to  have  the 
entire  world  to  myself.  Around  me  was  the  glassy  sea, 
black  as  ink,  save  where  the  moon  shone  upon  it. 
Treading  softly,  as  if  I  feared  my  footsteps  would  wake 
the  sleeping  ship,  I  stepped  out  of  the  companion  and 
was  about  to  make  my  way  aft  when  something  I  saw 
before  me  caused  me  to  stop.  Standing  on  the  grating 
which  extended  the  whole  width  of  the  stern  behind 
the  after  wheel,  was  a  man  whom  I  had  no  difficulty 
in  recognising  as  Pharos.  His  hands  were  lifted  above 
his  head  as  if  he  were  invoking  the  assistance  of  the 
Goddess  of  the  Night.  His  head  was  thrown  back,  and 
from  the  place  where  I  stood  I  could  distinctly  see  the 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  133 

expression  upon  it.  Anything  more  fiendish  could 
scarcely  be  imagined.  It  was  not  the  face  of  a  human 
being,,  but  that  of  a  ghoul,  so  repulsive  and  yet  so 
fascinating  was  it.  Try  how  I  would,  I  could  not  with 
draw  my  eyes;  and  while  I  watched  he  spread  his  arms 
apart  and  cried  something  aloud  in  a  language  I  did 
not  recognise.  For  upward  of  a  minute  he  remained  in 
this  attitude,  then,  descending  from  the  grating,  he 
made  his  way  slowly  along  the  deck  and  came  toward 
the  place  where  I  stood. 

Afraid  of  I  know  not  what,  I  shrank  back  into  the 
shadow  of  the  hatch.  Had  he  discovered  my  presence 
I  feel  convinced,  in  the  humour  in  which  he  then  was, 
he  would  have  done  his  best  to  kill  me.  Fortunately, 
however,  my  presence  was  unsuspected,  and  he  went 
below  without  seeing  me.  Then,  wiping  great  beads  of 
sweat  from  my  forehead,  I  stumbled  to  the  nearest 
skylight,  and,  seating  myself  upon  it,  endeavoured  to 
regain  my  composure.  Once  more  I  asked  myself  the 
question,  "  Who  and  what  was  this  man  into  whose 
power  I  had  fallen?  " 


CHAPTEK  IX. 

THE  captain  was  not  very  far  out  in  his  reckoning 
when  he  prophesied  that  the  unusual  calm  of  the  previ 
ous  evening  betokened  the  approach  of  a  storm.  Every 
one  who  has  had  experience  of  the  Mediterranean  is 
aware  with  what  little  warning  gales  spring  up.  At 
daybreak  the  weather  may  be  all  that  can  be  desired, 
and  in  the  evening  your  ship  is  fighting  her  way  along 
in  the  teeth  of  a  hurricane.  In  this  particular  in 
stance,  when  I  turned  into  my  bunk  after  the  fright 
Pharos  had  given  me,  as  narrated  in  the  preceding 
chapter,  the  sea  was  as  smooth  as  glass  and  the  sky 
innocent  of  a  single  cloud.  When  I  opened  my  eyes 
on  the  morning  following,  the  yacht  was  being  pitched 
up  and  down  and  to  and*  fro  like  a  cork.  A  gale  of 
wind  was  blowing  overhead,  while  every  timber  sent 
forth  an  indignant  protest  against  the  barbarity  to 
which  it  was  being  subjected.  From  the  pantry,  be 
yond  the  saloon  companion-ladder,  a  clatter  of  break 
ing  glass  followed  every  roll,  while  I  was  able  to  esti 
mate  the  magnitude  of  the  seas  the  little  vessel  was 
encountering  by  the  number  of  times  her  propeller 
raced  as  she  hung  suspended  in  mid-air.  For  upward 
of  an  hour  I  remained  in  my  bunk,  thinking  of  the 
singular  events  of  the  night  before  and  telling  myself 
that  were  it  not  for  the  Fraulein  Valerie  I  could  find  it 
in  my  heart  to  wish  myself  out  of  the  yacht  and  back 
in  my  own  comfortable  studio  once  more.  By  seven 
134 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  135 

o'clock  my  curiosity  was  so  excited  as  to  what  was  doing 
on  deck  that  I  could  no  longer  remain  inactive.  I  ac 
cordingly  scrambled  out  of  bed  and  dressed  myself,  a 
proceeding  which,  owing  to  the  movement  of  the  vessel, 
was  attended  with  no  small  amount  of  difficulty,  and 
then,  clutching  at  everything  that  would  permit  of  a 
grip,  I  passed  out  of  the  saloon  and  made  my  way  up 
the  companion-ladder.  On  glancing  through  the  port 
holes  there,  a  scene  of  indescribable  tumult  met  my 
eye.  In  place  of  the  calm  and  almost  monotonous 
stretch  of  blue  water  across  which  we  had  been  sailing 
so  peacefully  less  than  twenty-four  hours  before,  I  now 
saw  a  wild  and  angry  sea,  upon  which  dark,  leaden 
clouds  looked  down.  The  gale  was  from  the  north 
east  and  beat  upon  our  port  quarter  with  relentless 
fury. 

My  horizon  being  limited  in  the  companion,  I 
turned  the  handle  and  prepared  to  step  on  to  the  deck 
outside.  It  was  only  when  I  had  done  so  that  I 
realised  how  strong  the  wind  was;  it  caught  the  door 
and  dashed  it  from  my  hand  as  if  it  had  been  made  of 
paper,  while  the  cap  I  had  upon  my  head  was  whisked 
off  and  carried  away  into  the  swirl  of  grey  water 
astern  before  I  had  time  to  clap  my  hand  to  it.  Un 
daunted,  however,  by  this  mishap,  I  shut  the  door,  and, 
hanging  on  to  the  hand-rail,  lest  I  too  should  be  washed 
overboard,  made  my  way  forward  and  eventually 
reached  the  ladder  leading  to  the  bridge.  By  the  time 
I  put  my  foot  upon  the  first  step  I  was  quite  exhausted 
and  had  to  pause  in  order  to  recover  my  breath;  and 
yet,  if  it  was  so  bad  below,  how  shall  I  describe  the 
scene  which  greeted  my  eyes  when  I  stood  upon  the  • 
bridge  itself?  From  that  dizzy  height  I  was  better  able 
to  estimate  the  magnitude  of  the  waves  and  the  capa 
bilities  of  the  little  vessel  for  withstanding  them. 


136  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

The  captain,  sea-booted  and  clad  in  sou'wester  and 
oilskins,  came  forward  and  dragged  me  to  a  place  of 
safety  as  soon  as  he  became  aware  of  my  presence.  I 
saw  his  lips  move,  but  what  with  the  shrieking  of  the 
wind  in  the  shrouds  and  the  pounding  of  the  seas  on 
the  deck  below,  what  he  said  was  quite  inaudible. 
Once  in  the  corner  to  which  he  led  me,  I  clung  to  the 
rails  like  a  drowning  man  and  regarded  the  world 
above  my  canvas  screen  in  silent  consternation.  And  I 
had  excellent  reasons  for  being  afraid,  for  the  picture 
before  me  was  one  that  might  have  appalled  the  stout 
est  heart.  Violent  as  the  sea  had  appeared  from  the 
port  of  the  companion  hatch,  it  looked  doubly  so  now; 
and  the  higher  the  waves,  the  deeper  the  valleys  in 
between.  Tossed  to  and  fro,  her  bows  one  moment  in 
mid-air  and  the  next  pointing  to  the  bottom  of  the 
ocean,  it  seemed  impossible  so  frail  a  craft  could  long 
withstand  the  buffeting  she  was  receiving.  She  rolled 
without  ceasing,  long,  sickening  movements  followed 
on  each  occasion  by  a  death-like  pause  that  made  the 
heart  stand  still  and  forced  the  .belief  upon  one  that 
she  could  never  right  herself  again.  Times  out  of 
number  I  searched  the  captain's  face  in  the  hope  of 
deriving  some  sort  of  encouragement  from  it;  but  I 
found  none.  On  the  other  hand,  it  was  plain,  from 
the  glances  he  now  and  again  threw  back  along  the 
<vesse],  and  from  the  strained  expression  that  was  never 
absent  from  his  eyes,  that  he  was  as  anxious  as  myself, 
and,  since  he  was  more  conversant  with  her  capabilities, 
with  perhaps  greater  reason.  Only  the  man  at  the 
wheel — a  tall,  gaunt  individual,  with  bushy  eyebrows 
and  the  largest  hands  I  have  ever  seen  on  a  human  be 
ing — seemed  undisturbed.  Despite  the  fact  that  upon 
his  handling  of  those  frail  spokes  depended  the  lives 
of  twenty  human  creatures,  he  was  as  undaunted  by 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

the  war  of  the  elements  going  on  around  him  as  if  he 
were  sitting  by  the  fireside,  smoking  his  pipe,  ashore. 

For  upward  of  half  an  hour  I  remained  where  the 
captain  had  placed  me,  drenched  by  the  spray,  listening 
to  the  dull  thud  of  the  seas  as  they  broke  upon  the  deck 
below,  and  watching  with  an  interest  that  amounted 
almost  to  a  pain  the  streams  of  water  that  sluiced  back 
ward  and  forward  across  the  bridge  every  time  she 
rolled.  Then,  summoning  all  my  courage,  for  I  can 
assure  you  it  was  needed,  I  staggered  toward  the  ladder 
and  once  more  prepared  to  make  my  way  below.  I 
had  not  reached  the  deck,  however,  and  fortunately 
my  hands  had  not  quitted  the  guide  rails,  when  a  wave 
larger  than  any  I  had  yet  seen  mounted  the  bulwark 
and  clashed  aboard,  carrying  away  a  boat  and  twisting 
the  davits,  from  which  it  had  been  suspended  a  mo 
ment  before,  like  pieces  of  bent  wire.  Had  I  descended 
a  moment  earlier,  nothing  could  have  prevented  me 
from  being  washed  overboard.  With  a  feeling  of  de 
vout  thankfulness  in  my  heart  for  my  escape,  I  re 
mained  where  I  was,  clinging  to  the  ladder  long  after 
the  sea  had  passed  and  disappeared  through  the  scup 
pers.  Then  I  descended  and,  holding  on  to  the  rails  as 
before,  eventually  reached  the  saloon  entrance  in  safety. 

To  be  inside,  in  that  still,  warm  atmosphere,  out 
of  the  pressure  of  the  wind,  was  a  relief  beyond  all  tell 
ing,  though  what  sort  of  object  I  must  have  looked, 
with  my  hair  blown  in  all  directions  by  the  wind  and 
my  clothes  soaked  through  and  through  by  the  spray 
that  had  dashed  upon  me  on  the  bridge,  is  more  than 
I  can  say.  Thinking  it  advisable  I  should  change  as 
soon  as  possible,  I  made  my  way  to  my  own  cabin,  but, 
before  I  reached  it,  the  door  of  that  occupied  by  the 
Fraulein  Valerie  opened  and  she  came  out.  That  some 
thing  unusual  was  the  matter  I  saw  at  a  glance. 


138  PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN. 

"  Mr.  Forrester,"  she  said,  with  a  scorn  in  her  voice 
that  cut  like  a  knife,  "  come  here.  I  have  something 
curious  to  show  you." 

I  did  as  she  wished,  and  forthwith  she  led  me  to 
her  cabin.  I  was  not  prepared,  however,  for  what  I 
found  there.  Crouching  in  a  corner,  almost  beside 
himself  with  fear,  and  with  the  frightened  face  of  the 
monkey  Pehtes  peering  out  from  beneath  his  coat,  was 
no  less  a  person  than  Pharos,  the  man  I  had  hitherto 
supposed  insensible  to  such  an  emotion.  In  the  pres 
ence  of  that  death,  however,  which  we  all  believed  to  be 
so  imminent,  he  showed  himself  a  coward  past  all  be 
lieving.  Terror  incarnate  stared  from  his  eyes  and 
rendered  him  unconscious  of  our  scorn.  At  every  roll 
the  vessel  gave  he  shrank  farther  into  his  corner,  glar 
ing  at  us  meanwhile  with  a  ferocity  that  was  not  very 
far  removed  from  madness. 

At  any  other  time  and  in  any  other  person  such  an 
exhibition  might  have  been  conducive  of  pity;  in  his 
case,  however,  it  only  added  to  the  loathing  I  already 
felt  for  him.  One  thing  was  very  certain,  in  his  present 
condition  he  was  no  fit  companion  for  the  woman  who 
stood  clinging  to  the  door  behind  me.  I  accordingly 
determined  to  get  him  either  to  his  own  cabin  or  to 
mine  without  delay. 

"  Come,  come,  Monsieur  Pharos,"  I  said,  "  you  must 
not  give  way  like  this.  I  have  been  on  deck,  and  I 
can  assure  you  there  is  no  immediate  danger." 

As  I  said  this  I  stooped  and  placed  my  hand  upon 
his  shoulder.  He  threw  it  off  with  a  snarl  and  a  snap 
of  his  teeth  that  was  more  like  the  action  of  a  mad 
dog  than  that  of  a  man. 

"  You  lie,  you  lie!  "  he  cried  in  a  paroxysm  of  rage 
and  fear.  "  I  am  cursed,  and  I  shall  never  see  land 
again.  But  I  will  not  die — I  will  not  die!  There  must 


PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN.  139 

be  some  way  of  keeping  the  yacht  afloat.  The  captain 
must  find  one.  If  any  one  is  to  be  saved  it  must  be  me. 
Do  you  hear  what  I  say?  It  must  be  me." 

For  the  abominable  selfishness  of  this  remark  I 
could  have  struck  him. 

"  Are  you  a  man  that  you  can  talk  like  this  in  the 
presence  of  a  woman  ?  "  I  cried.  "  For  shame,  sir,  for 
shame!  Get  up  and  let  me  conduct  you  to  your  own 
cabin." 

With  this  I  lifted  him  to  his  feet  and,  whether  he 
liked  it  or  not,  half  led  and  half  dragged  him  along 
the  saloon  to  his  own  quarters.  Once  there  I  placed 
hirn  on  his  settee,  but  the  next  roll  of  the  vessel  brought 
him  to  the  floor  and  left  him  crouching  in  the  corner, 
still  clutching  the  monkey,  his  knees  almost  level  with 
his  shoulders,  and  his  awful  face  looking  up  at  me 
between  them.  The  whole  affair  was  so  detestable  that 
my  gorge  rose  at  it,  and  when  I  left  him  I  returned  to 
the  saloon  with  a  greater  detestation  of  him  in  my  heart 
than  I  had  felt  before.  I  found  the  Fraulein  Valerie 
seated  at  the  table. 

"  Fraulein,"  I  said,  seating  myself  beside  her,  "  I 
am  afraid  you  have  been  needlessly  alarmed.  As  I 
said  in  there,  I  give  you  my  word  there  is  no  immediate 
danger." 

"  I  am  frightened,"  she  answered.  "  See  how  my 
hands  are  trembling.  But  it  is  not  death  I  fear." 

"  You  fear  that  man,"  I  said,  nodding  my  head  in 
the  direction  of  the  cabin  I  had  just  left;  "  but  I  assure 
you,  you  need  not  do  so,  for  to-day,  at  least,  he  is  harm 
less." 

"Ah!  you  do  not  know  him  as  I  do,"  she  replied. 
"  I  have  seen  him  like  this  before.  As  soon  as  the 
storm  abates  he  will  be  himself  again,  and  then  he  will 
hate  us  both  the  more  for  having  been  witnesses  of  his 


140  PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN. 

cowardice."  Then,  sinking  her  voice  a  little,,  she  added: 
"  I  often  wonder,  Mr.  Forrester,  whether  he  can  be 
human.  If  so,  he  must  be  the  only  one  of  his  kind 
in  the  world,  for  Xature  surely  could  not  permit  two 
such  men  to  live." 


CHAPTER    X. 

IT  was  almost  dark  when  the  yacht  entered  the  har 
bour  of  Port  Said,  though  the  sky  at  the  back  of  the 
town  still  retained  the  last  lingering  colours  of  the  sun 
set,  which  had  been  more  beautiful  that  evening  than  I 
ever  remembered  to  have  seen  it  before.  Well  ac 
quainted  as  I  was  with  the  northern  shores  of  the  Medi 
terranean,  this  was  the  first  time  I  had  been  brought 
into  contact  with  the  southern,  and,  what  was  more 
important,  it  was  also  the  first  occasion  on  which  I  had 
joined  hands  with  the  Immemorial  East.  In  the  old 
days  I  had  repeatedly  heard  it  said  by  travellers  that 
Port  Said  was  a  place  not  only  devoid  of  interest,  but 
entirely  lacking  in  artistic  colour.  I  take  the  liberty  of 
disagreeing  with  my  informants  in  toto.  Port  Said 
greeted  me  with  the  freshness  of  a  new  life.  The  col 
ouring  and  quaint  architecture  of  the  houses,  the  vo 
ciferous  boatmen,  the  monotonous  chant  of  the  Arab 
coalers,  the  string  of  camels  I  could  just  make  out  turn 
ing  the  corner  of  a  distant  street,  the  donkey  boys,  the 
Soudanese  soldiers  at  the  barriers,  and  last,  but  by  no 
means  least,  the  crowd  of  shipping  in  the  harbour,  con 
stituted  a  picture  that  was  as  full  of  interest  as  it  was 
of  new  impressions. 

As  soon  as  we  were  at  anchor  and  the  necessary 

formalities    of    the    port    had    been    complied    with, 

Pharos's  servant,  the  man  who  had  accompanied  us 

from  Pompeii  and  who  had  brought  me  on  board  in 

10  141 


142  PHAEOS,   THE  EGYPTIAN. 

Naples,  made  his  way  ashore,  whence  he  returned  in 
something  less  than  an  hour  to  inform  us  that  he  had 
arranged  for  a  special  train  to  convey  us  to  our  destina 
tion.  We  accordingly  bade  farewell  to  the  yacht  and 
were  driven  to  the  railway-station,  a  primitive  building 
on  the  outskirts  of  the  town.  Here  an  engine  and  a 
single  carriage  awaited  us.  We  took  our  places  and 
five  minutes  later  were  steaming  across  the  flat  sandy 
plain  that  borders  the  Canal  and  separates  it  from  the 
Bitter  Lakes. 

Ever  since  the  storm,  and  the  unpleasant  insight  it 
had  afforded  me  into  Pharos's  character,  our  relations 
had  been  somewhat  strained.  As  the  Fraulein  Valerie 
had  predicted,  as  soon  as  he  recovered  his  self-pos 
session,  he  hated  me  the  more  for  having  been  a  witness 
of  his  cowardice.  For  the  remainder  of  the  voyage  he 
scarcely  put  in  an  appearance  on  deck,  but  spent  the 
greater  portion  of  his  time  in  his  own  cabin,  though 
in  what  manner  he  occupied  himself  there  I  could  not 
imagine. 

Now  that  we  were  in  our  railway  carriage,  en  route 
to  Cairo,  looking  out  upon  that  dreary  landscape,  with 
its  dull  expanse  of  water  on  one  side,  and  the  high 
bank  of  the  Canal,  with,  occasionally,  glimpses  of  the 
passing  stations,  on  the  other,  we  were  brought  into 
actual  contact,  and,  in  consequence,  things  improved 
somewhat.  But  even  then  we  could  scarcely  have  been 
described  as  a  happy  party.  The  Fraulein  Valerie  sat 
for  the  most  part  silent  and  preoccupied,  facing  the 
engine  in  the  right-hand  corner;  Pharos,  wrapped  in 
his  heavy  fur  coat  and  rug,  and  with  his  inevitable 
companion  cuddled  up  beside  him,  had  taken  his  place 
opposite  her.  I  sat  in  the  farther  corner,  watching 
them  both  and  dimly  wondering  at  the  strangeness  of 
my  position.  At  Ismailia  another  train  awaited  us, 


PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN.  143 

and  when  we  and  our  luggage  had  been  transshipped 
to  it,  we  continued  our  journey,  entering  now  on  the 
region  of  the  desert  proper.  The  heat  was  almost  un 
bearable,  and  to  make  matters  worse,  as  soon  as  dark 
ness  fell  and  the  lamps  were  lighted,  swarms  of  mos 
quitoes  emerged  from  their  hiding-places  and  de 
scended  upon  us.  The  train  rolled  and  jolted  its  way 
over  the  sandy  plain,  passed  the  battle-fields  of  Tel-el- 
Kebir  and  Kassassin,  and  still  Pharos  and  the  woman 
opposite  him  remained  seated  in  the  same  position,  he 
with  his  head  thrown  back,  and  the  same  deathlike 
expression  upon  his  face,  and  she  staring  out  of  the 
window,  but,  I  am  certain,  seeing  nothing  of  the  coun 
try  through  which  we  were  passing.  It  was  long  after 
midnight  when  we  reached  the  capital.  Once  more  the 
same  obsequious  servant  was  in  attendance.  A  car 
riage,  he  informed  us,  awaited  our  arrival  at  the  station 
door,  and  in  it  we  were  whirled  off  to  the  hotel,  at 
which  rooms  had  been  engaged  for  us.  However  dis 
agreeable  Pharos  might  make  himself,  it  was  at  least 
certain  that  to  travel  with  him  was  to  do  so  in  luxury. 
Of  all  the  impressions  I  received  that  day,  none 
struck  me  with  greater  force  than  the  drive  from  the 
station  to  the  hotel.  I  had  expected  to  find  a  typical 
Eastern  city;  in  place  of  it  I  was  confronted  with  one 
that  was  almost  Parisian,  as  far  as  its  handsome  houses 
and  broad  tree-shaded  streets  were  concerned.  Nor 
was  our  hotel  behind  it  in  point  of  interest.  It  proved 
to  be  a  gigantic  affair,  elaborately  decorated  in  the 
Egyptian  fashion,  and  replete,  as  the  advertisements 
say,  with  every  modern  convenience.  The  owner  him 
self  met  us  at  the  entrance,  and  from  the  fact  that  he 
informed  Pharos,  with  the  greatest  possible  respect, 
that  his  old  suite  of  rooms  had  been  retained  for  him, 
I  gathered  that  they  were  not  strangers  to  each  other. 


144  PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN. 

"  At  last  we  are  in  Cairo,  Mr.  Forrester,"  said  the 
latter,  with  an  ugly  sneer,  when  we  had  reached  our 
sitting-room,  in  which  a  meal  had  heen  prepared  for 
us,  "  and  the  dream  of  your  life  is  realised.  I  hasten 
to  offer  you  my  congratulations." 

In  my  own  mind  I  had  a  doubt  as  to  whether  it  was 
a  matter  of  congratulation  to  me  to  be  there  in  his  com 
pany.  I,  however,  made  an  appropriate  reply,  and  then 
assisted  the  Fraulein  Valerie  to  divest  herself  of  her 
travelling  cloak.  When  she  had  done  so  we  sat  down 
to  our  meal.  The  long  railway  journey  had  made  us 
hungry,  but,  though  I  happened  to  know  that  he  had 
tasted  nothing  for  more  than  eight  hours,  Pharor, 
would  not  join  us.  As  soon  as  we  had  finished  we 
bade  each  other  good-night  and  retired  to  our  various 
apartments. 

On  reaching  my  room  I  threw  open  my  window  and 
looked  out.  I  could  scarcely  believe  that  I  was  in  the 
place  in  which  my  father  had  taken  such  delight  and 
where  he  had  spent  so  many  of  the  happiest  hours  of 
his  life. 

When  I  woke,  my  first  thought  was  to  study  the 
city  from  my  bedroom  window.  It  was  an  exquisite 
morning,  and  the  scene  before  me  more  than  equalled 
it  in  beauty.  From  where  I  stood  I  looked  away  across 
the  flat  roofs  of  houses,  over  the  crests  of  palm  trees, 
into  the  blue  distance  beyond,  where,  to  my  delight, 
I  could  just  discern  the  Pyramids  peering  up  above 
the  Nile.  In  the  street  below  stalwart  Arabs,  donkey 
boys,  and  almost  every  variety  of  beggar  could  be 
seen,  and  while  I  watched,  emblematical  of  the 
change  in  the  administration  of  the  country,  a  guard 
of  Highlanders,  with  a  piper  playing  at  their  head, 
marched  by  en  route  to  the  headquarters  of  the  Army 
of  Occupation. 


PHAROS,   THE   EGYPTIAN.  145 

As  usual,  Pharos  did  not  put  in  an  appearance 
when  breakfast  was  served.  Accordingly^  the  Fraulein 
and  I  sat  down  to  it  alone.  When  we  had  finished  we 
made  our  way  to  the  cool  stone  veranda,  where  we 
seated  ourselves,  and  I  obtained  permission  to  smoke 
a  cigarette.  That  my  companion  had  something  upon 
her  mind  I  was  morally  convinced.  She  appeared 
nervous  and  ill  at  ease,  and  1  noticed  that  more  than 
once,  when  I  addressed  some  remark  tg  her,  she  glanced 
eagerly  at  my  face  as  if  she  hoped  to  obtain  an  open 
ing  for  what  she  wanted  to  say,  and  then,  finding  that 
I  was  only  commenting  on  the  stateliness  of  some  Arab 
passer-by,  the  beautiful  peep  of  blue  sky  permitted  us 
between  two  white  buildings  opposite,  or  the  graceful 
foliage  of  a  palm  overhanging  a  neighbouring  wall, 
she  would  heave  a  sigh  and  turn  impatiently  from  me 
again. 

"  Mr.  Forrester,"  she  said  at  last,  when  she  could 
bear  it  no  longer,  "  I  intended  to  have  spoken  to  you 
yesterday,  but  I  was  not  vouchsafed  an  opportunity. 
You  told  me  on  board  the  yacht  that  there  was  nothing 
yon  would  not  do  to  help  me.  I  have  a  favour  to  ask 
of  you  now.  Will  you  grant  it?  " 

Guessing  from  her  earnestness  what  was  coming, 
I  hesitated  before  I  replied. 

"  Would  it  not  be  better  to  leave  it  to  my  honour 
to  do  or  not  to  do  so  after  you  have  told  me  what  it  is?  " 
I  asked. 

"  No;  you  must  give  me  your  promise  first,"  she 
replied.  "  Believe  me,  I  mean  it  when  I  say  that  your 
compliance  with  my  request  will  make  me  a  happier 
woman  than  I  have  been  for  some  time  past."  Here  she 
blushed  a  rosy  red,  as  though  she  thought  she  had 
said  too  much.  "  But  it  is  possible  my  happiness  does 
not  weigh  with  you." 


146  PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN. 

"  It  weighs  very  heavily,"  I  replied.  "  It  is  on  that 
account  I  can  not  give  my  promise  blindfold." 

On  hearing  this  she  seemed  somewhat  disappointed. 

"  I  did  not  think  you  would  refuse  me,"  she  said, 
"  since  what  I  am  going  to  ask  of  you  is  only  for  your 
own  good.  Mr.  Forrester,  you  have  seen  something 
on  board  the  yacht  of  the  risk  you  run  while  you  are 
associated  with  Pharos.  You  are  now  on  land  again 
and  your  own  master.  If  you  desire  to  please  me,  you 
will  take  the  opportunity  and  go  away.  Every  hour 
that  you  remain  here  only  adds  to  your  danger.  The 
crisis  will  soon  come,  and  then  you  will  find  that  you 
have  neglected  my  warning  too  long." 

"  Forgive  rne,"  I  answered,  this  time  as  seriously  as 
even  she  could  desire,  "  if  I  say  that  I  have  not  neg 
lected  your  warning.  Since  you  have  so  often  pointed 
it  out  to  me,  and  judging  from  what  I  have  already 
seen  of  the  character  of  the  old  gentleman  in  question, 
I  can  quite  believe  that  he  is  capable  of  any  villainy; 
but,  if  you  will  pardon  my  reminding  you  of  it,  I  think 
you  have  heard  my  decision  before.  I  am  willing,  nay, 
even  eager  to  go  away,  provided  you  will  do  the  same. 
If,  however,  you  decline,  then  I  remain.  More  than 
that  I  will  not,  and  less  than  that  I  can  not,  promise." 

"  What  you  ask  is  impossible;  it  is  out  of  the  ques 
tion,"  she  continued.  "  As  I  have  told  you  so  often  be 
fore,  Mr.  Forrester,  I  am  bound  to  him  forever  and 
by  chains  that  no  human  power  can  break.  "What  is 
more,  even  if  I  were  to  do  as  you  wish,  it  would  be 
useless.  The  instant  he  wanted  me,  if  he  were  thou 
sands  of  miles  away  and  only  breathed  my  name,  I 
should  forget  your  kindness,  my  freedom,  his  old 
cruelty — everything,  in  fact — and  go  back  to  him. 
Have  you  not  seen  enough  of  us  to  know  that  where  he 
is  concerned,  I  have  no  will  of  my  own?  Besides — 


PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN.  147 

but  there,  I  can  not  tell  you  any  more!  Let  it  suffice 
that  I  can  not  do  as  you  ask." 

Eemembering  the  interview  I  had  overheard  that 
night  on  board  the  yacht,  I  did  not  know  what  to 
say.  That  Pharos  had  her  under  his  influence  I  had, 
as  she  had  said,  seen  enough  to  be  convinced.  And  yet, 
regarded  in  the  light  of  our  sober,  every-day  life,  how 
impossible  it  all  seemed!  I  looked  at  the  beautiful, 
fashionably-dressed  woman  seated  by  my  side,  playing 
with  the  silver  handle  of  her  Parisian*  parasol,  and  won 
dered  if  I  could  be  dreaming,  and  whether  I  should 
presently  waken  to  find  myself  in  bed  in  my  comfort 
able  rooms  in  London  once  more,  and  my  servant  en 
tering  with  my  shaving-water. 

"  I  think  you  are  very  cruel!  "  she  said,  when  I 
returned  no  answer.  "  Surely  you  must  be  aware  how 
much  it  adds  to  my  unhappiness  to  know  that  another 
is  being  drawn  into  his  toils,  and  yet  you  refuse  to  do 
the  one  and  only  thing  which  can  make  my  mind 
easier." 

"  Fraulein,"  I  said,  rising  and  standing  before  her, 
"  the  first  time  I  saw  you  I  knew  that  you  were  un 
happy.  I  could  see  that  the  canker  of  some  great  sor 
row  was  eating  into  your  heart.  I  wished  that  1  could 
help  you,  and  Fate  accordingly  willed  that  I  should 
make  your  acquaintance.  Afterward,  by  a  terrible 
series  of  coincidences,  I  was  brought  into  personal  con 
tact  with  your  life.  I  found  that  my  first  impression 
was  a  correct  one.  You  were  miserable,  as,  thank  God! 
few  human  beings  are.  On  the  night  that  I  dined  with 
you  in  Xaples  you  warned  me  of  the  risk  I  was  running 
in  associating  with  Pharos  and  implored  me  to  save 
myself.  When  I  knew  that  you  were  bound  hand  and 
foot  to  him,  can  you  wonder  that  I  declined?  Since 
then  I  have  been  permitted  further  opportunities  of 


148  PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN. 

seeing  what  you  life  with  him  is  like.  Once  more  you 
ask  me  to  save  myself,  and  once  more  I  make  you  this 
answer.  If  you  will  accompany  me,  I  will  go;  and  if  you 
do  so,  I  swear  to  God  that  I  will  protect  and  shield  you 
to  the  best  of  my  ability.  I  have  many  influential 
friends  who  will  count  it  an  honour  to  take  you  into 
their  families  until  something  can  be  arranged,  and 
with  whom  you  will  be  safe.  On  the  other  hand,  if  you 
will  not  go,  I  pledge  you  my  word  that  so  long  as  you 
remain  in  this  man's  company  I  will  do  so  too.  No 
argument  will  shake  my  determination  and  no  entreaty 
move  me  from  the  position  I  have  taken  up." 

I  searched  her  face  for  some  sign  of  acquiescence, 
but  could  find  none.  It  was  bloodless  in  its  pallor,  and 
yet  so  beautiful  that  at  any  other  time  and  in  any  other 
place  I  should  have  been  compelled  by  the  love  I  felt 
for  her — a  love  that  I  now  knew  to  be  stronger  than 
life  itself — to  take  her  in  my  arms  and  tell  her  that 
she  was  the  only  woman  in  the  wide  world  for  me,  that 
I  would  protect  her,  not  only  aginst  Pharos,  but 
against  his  master  Apollyon  himself.  Now,  however, 
such  a  confession  was  impossible.  Situated  as  we  were, 
hemmed  in  by  dangers  on  every  side,  to  speak  of  love  to 
her  would  have  been  little  better  than  an  insult. 

"  What  answer  do  you  give  me?  "  I  said,  seeing  that 
she  did  not  speak. 

"  Only  that  you  are  cruel,"  she  replied.  "  You 
know  my  misery,  and  yet  you  add  to  it.  Have  I  not 
told  you  that  I  should  be  a  happier  woman  if  you 
went?" 

"  You  must  forgive  me  for  saying  so,  but  I  do  not 
believe  it,"  I  said,  with  a  boldness  and  a  vanity  that 
surprised  even  myself.  "  No,  Fraulein,  do  not  let  us 
play  at  cross-purposes.  It  is  evident  you  are  afraid  of 
this  man,  and  that  you  believe  yourself  to  be  in  his 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  149 

power.  I  feel  convinced  it  is  not  as  bad  as  you  say. 
Look  at  it  in  a  matter-of-fact  light  and  tell  me  how  it 
can  be  so?  Supposing  you  leave  him  now,  and  we 
fly,  shall  we  say,  to  London.  You  are  your  own 
mistress  and  quite  at  liberty  to  go.  At  any  rate, 
you  arc  not  his  property  to  do  with  as  he  likes,  so  if 
he  follows  you  and  persists  in  annoying  you,  there 
are  many  ways  of  inducing  him  to  refrain  from  doing 
so." 

She  shook  her  head. 

"  Once  more,  I  say,  how  little  you  know  him,  Mr. 
Forrester,  and  how  poorly  you  estimate  his  powers! 
Since  you  have  forced  me  to  it,  let  me  tell  you  that  1 
have  twice  tried  to  do  what  you  propose — once  in  St. 
Petersburg  and  once  in  Norway.  He  had  terrified  me, 
and  I  swore  that  I  would  rather  die  than  see  his  face 
again.  Almost  starving,  supporting  myself  as  best  I 
could  by  my  music,  I  made  my  way  to  Moscow,  thence 
to  Kiev  and  Lcmburg,  and  across  the  Carpathians  to 
Buda-Pesth.  Some  old  friends  of  my  father's,  to  whom 
I  was  ultimately  forced  to  appeal,  took  me  in.  I  re 
mained  with  them  a  month,  and  during  that  time  heard 
nothing  either  of  or  from  Monsieur  Pharos.  Then, 
one  night,  when  I  sat  alone  in  my  bedroom,  after  my 
friends  had  retired  to  rest,  a  strange  feeling  that  I  was 
not  alone  in  the  room  came  over  me — a  feeling  that 
something,  I  do  not  know  what,  was  standing  behind 
me,  urging  me  to  leave  the  house  and  to  go  out  into 
the  wood  which  adjoined  it,  to  meet  the  man  whom  I 
feared  more  than  poverty,  more  than  starvation,  more 
even  than  death  itself.  Unable  to  refuse,  or  even  to 
argue  with  myself,  I  rose,  drew  a  cloak  about  my  shoul 
ders  and.  descending  the  stairs,  unbarred  a  door  and 
went  swiftly  down  the  path  toward  the  dark  wood  to 
which  I  have  just  referred.  Incredible  as  it  may  seem, 


150  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

I  had  not  been  deceived.  Pharos  was  there,  seated 
on  a  fallen  tree,  waiting  for  me." 

"And  the  result?" 

"  The  result  was  that  I  never  returned  to  the  house, 
,,  nor  have  I  any  recollection  of  what  happened  at  our 
interview.  The  next  thing  I  remember  was  finding 
myself  in  Paris.  Months  afterward  I  learned  that  my 
friends  had  searched  high  and  low  for  me  in  vain,  and 
had  at  last  come  to  the  conclusion  that  my  melancholy 
had  induced  me  to  make  away  with  myself.  I  wrote 
to  them  to  say  that  I  was  safe,  and  to  ask  their  forgive 
ness,  but  my  letter  has  never  been  answered.  The  next 
time  was  in  Norway.  While  we  were  there  a  young 
Norwegian  pianist  came  under  the  spell  of  Pharos's  in 
fluence.  But  the  load  of  misery  he  was  called  upon  to 
bear  was  too  much  for  him  and  he  killed  himself.  In 
one  of  his  cruel  moments  Pharos  congratulated  me  on 
the  success  with  which  I  had  acted  as  his  decoy.  Eeal- 
ising  the  part  I  had  unconsciously  played,  and  knowing 
that  escape  in  any  other  direction  was  impossible,  I 
resolved  to  follow  the  wretched  lad's  example.  I  ar 
ranged  everything  as  carefully  as  a  desperate  woman 
could  do.  We  were  staying  at  the  time  near-  one  of 
the  deepest  fjords,  and  if  I  could  only  reach  the  place 
unseen,  I  was  prepared  to  throw  myself  over  into  the 
water  five  hundred  feet  below.  Every  preparation  was 
made,  and  when  I  thought  Pharos  was  asleep  I  crept 
from  the  house  and  made  my  way  along  the  rough 
mountain  path  to  the  spot  where  I  was  going  to  say 
farewell  to  my  wretched  life  for  good  and  all.  For 
days  past  I  had  been  nerving  myself  for  the  deed. 
Reaching  the  spot  I  stood  upon  the  brink  gazing  down 
into  the  depths  below,  thinking  of  my  poor  father, 
whom  I  expected  soon  to  join,  and  wondering  when  my 
mangled  body  would  be  found.  Then,  lifting  my  arms 


PHAKOS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  151 

above  my  head,  I  was  about  to  let  myself  go,  when  a 
voice  behind  me  ordered  me  to  stop.  I  recognised  it, 
and  though  I  knew  that  before  he  could  approach  me 
it  was  possible  for  me  to  effect  my  purpose  and  place 
myself  beyond  even  his  power  forever,  I  was  unable 
to  do  as  I  desired. 

" '  Come  here,'  he  said — and  since  you  know  him 
you  can  imagine  how  he  would  say  it — '  this  is  the  sec 
ond  time  you  have  endeavoured  to  outwit  me.  First 
you  sought  refuge  in  flight,  but  I  brought  you  back. 
Now  you  have  tried  suicide,  but  once  more  I  have  de 
feated  you.  Learn  this,  that  as  in  life  so  even  in  death 
you  are  mine,  to  do  with  as  I  will.'  After  that  he  led 
me  back  to  the  hotel,  and  from  that  time  I  have  been 
convinced  that  nothing  can  release  me  from  the  chains 
that  bind  me." 

Once  more  I  thought  of  the  conversation  I  had 
overheard  through  the  saloon  skylight  on  board  the 
yacht.  What  comfort  to  give  her  or  what  answer  to 
make  I  did  not  know.  I  was  still  debating  this  in  my 
mind  when  she  rose  and,  offering  some  excuse,  left  me 
and  went  into  the  house.  When  she  had  gone,  I  seated 
myself  in  my  chair  again  and  tried  to  think  out  what 
she  had  told  me.  It  seemed  impossible  that  her  story 
could  be  true,  and  yet  I  knew  her  well  enough  by  this 
time  to  feel  sure  that  she  would  not  lie  to  me.  But  for 
such  a  man  as  Pharos  to  exist  in  this  prosaic  nineteenth 
century,  and  stranger  still,  for  me,  Cyril  Forrester,  who 
had  always  prided  myself  on  my  clearness  of  head,  to 
believe  in  him,  was  absurd.  That  I  was  beginning 
to  do  so  was,  in  a  certain  sense,  only  too  true.  I  was 
resolved,  however,  that,  happen  what  might  in  the 
future,  I  would  keep  my  wits  about  me  and  endeav 
our  to  outwit  him,  not  only  for  my  own  sake,  but 
for  that  of  the  woman  I  loved,  whom  I  could  not 


152  PHAROS,    THE   EGYPTIAN. 

induce  to  seek  refuge  in  flight  while  she  had  the  op 
portunity. 

During  the  afternoon  I  saw  nothing  of  Pharos.  lie 
kept  himself  closely  shut  up  in  his  own  apartment 
and  was  seen  only  by  that  same  impassive  man-servant 
I  have  elsewhere  described.  The  day,  however,  was  not 
destined  to  go  by  without  my  coming  in  contact  with 
him.  The  Fraulein  Valerie  and  I  had  spent  the  even 
ing  in  the  cool  hall  of  the  hotel,  but  being  tired  she 
had  bidden  me  good-night  and  gone  to  her  room  at 
an  early  hour.  Scarcely  knowing  what  to  do  with  my 
self,  I  was  making  my  way  upstairs  to  my  room,  when 
the  door  of  Pharos's  apartment  opened  and  to  my  sur 
prise  the  old  man  emerged.  He  was  dressed  for  going 
out — that  is  to  say,  he  wore  his  long  fur  coat  and 
curious  cap.  On  seeing  him  I  stepped  back  into  the 
shadow  of  the  doonvay,  and  was  fortunate  enough  to 
be  able  to  do  so  before  he  became  aware  of  my  presence. 
As  soon  as  he  had  passed  I  went  to  the  balustrading 
and  watched  him  go  down  the  stairs,  wondering  as  I 
did  so  what  was  taking  him  from  home  at  such  a  late 
hour.  The  more  I  thought  of  it  the  more  inquisitive  I 
became.  A  great  temptation  seized  me  to  follow  him 
and  find  out.  P>eing  unable  to  resist  it,  I  went  to  my 
room,  found  my  hat,  slipped  a  revolver  into  my  pocket, 
in  case  I  might  want  it,  and  set  off  after  him. 

On  reaching  the  great  hall,  I  was  just  in  time  to  see 
him  step  into  a  carriage,  which  had  evidently  been 
ordered  for  him  beforehand.  The  driver  cracked  his 
whip,  the  horses  started  off,  and,  by  the  time  I  stood 
in  the  porch,  the  carriage  was  a  good  distance  down  the 
street. 

"Has  my  friend  gone?"  I  cried  to  the  porter,  as 
if  I  had  hastened  downstairs  in  the  hope  of  seeing  him 
before  he  left.  "  I  had  changed  my  mind  and  intended 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  153 

accompanying  him.  Call  me  a  cab  as  quickly  as  you 
can." 

One  of  the  neat  little  victorias  which  ply  in  the 
streets  of  Cairo  was  immediately  forthcoming.,  and 
into  it  I  sprang. 

"  Tell  the  man  to  follow  the  other  carriage,"  I  said 
to  the  porter,  "  as  fast  as  he  can  go." 

The  porter  said  something  in  Arabic  to  the  driver, 
and  a  moment  later  we  were  off  in  pursuit. 

It  was  a  beautiful  night,  and,  after  the  heat  of  the 
day,  the  rush  through  the  cool  air  was  infinitely  re 
freshing.  It  was  not  until  we  had  gone  upward  of  a 
mile,  and  the  first  excitement  of  the  chase  had  a  little 
abated,  that  the  folly  of  what  I  was  doing  came  home 
to  me,  but  even  then  it  did  not  induce. me  to  turn  back. 
Connected  with  Pharos  as  I  was,  I  was  determined  if 
possible  to  find  out  something  more  about  him  and 
his  doings  before  I  permitted  him  to  get  a  firmer  hold 
upon  me.  If  I  could  only  discover  his  business  on  this 
particular  night,  it  struck  me,  I  might  know  how  to 
deal  with  him.  I  accordingly  pocketed  my  scruples, 
and  slipping  my  hand  into  my  pocket  to  make  sure  that 
my  revolver  was  there,  I  permitted  my  driver  to  pro 
ceed  upon  his  way  unhindered.  By  this  time  we  had 
passed  the  Kasr-en-Nil  barracks,  and  were  rattling 
over  the  great  Nile  bridge.  It  was  plain  from  this 
that  whatever  the  errand  might  be  that  was  taking 
him  abroad,  it  at  least  had  110  connection  with  old 
Cairo. 

Crossing  the  Island  of  Bulak,  and  leaving  the  cara 
van  depot  on  our  left,  we  headed  away  under  the  ave 
nue  of  beautiful  Lebbek-trees  along  the  road  to  Gizeh. 
At  first  I  thought  it  must  be  the  Museum  he  was  aim 
ing  for,  but  this  idea  was  dispelled  when  we  passed 
the  great  gates  and  turned  sharp  to  the  right  hand. 


154  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

Holding  my  watch  to  the  carriage-lamp,  I  discovered 
that  it  wanted  only  a  few  minutes  to  eleven  o'clock. 

Although  still  shaded  with  Lebbek-trees,  the  road 
no  longer  ran  between  human  habitations,  but  far 
away  on  the  right  and  left  a  few  twinkling  lights  pro 
claimed  the  existence  of  Fellahin  villages.  Of  foot- 
passengers  we  saw  none,  and  save  the  occasional  note  of 
a  night-bird,  the  howling  of  a  dog  in  the  far  distance, 
and  the  rattle  of  our  own  wheels,  scarcely  a  sound  was 
to  be  heard.  Gradually  the  road,  which  was  raised  sev 
eral  feet  above  the  surrounding  country,  showed  a  tend 
ency  to  ascend,  and  just  as  I  was  beginning  to  wonder 
what  sort  of  a  Will-o'-the-wisp  chase  it  was  upon  which 
I  was  being  led,  and  what  the  upshot  of  it  would  be,  it 
came  to  an  abrupt  standstill,  and  towering  into  the  star 
light  above  me,  I  saw  two  things  which  swept  away  all 
my  doubts,  and  told  me,  as  plainly  as  any  words  could 
speak,  that  we  were  at  the  end  of  our  journey.  We  had 
reached  the  Pyramids  of  Gizeh.  As  soon  as  I  under 
stood  this,  I  signed  to  my  driver  to  pull  up,  and,  mak 
ing  him  understand  as  best  I  could  that  he  was  to  await 
my  return,  descended  and  made  my  way  toward  the 
Pyramids  on  foot.  Keeping  my  eye  on  Pharos,  whom 
I  could  see  ahead  of  me,  and  taking  care  not  to  allow 
him  to  become  aware  that  he  was  being  followed,  I 
began  the  long  pull  up  to  the  plateau  on  which  the 
largest  of  these  giant  monuments  is  situated.  Fortu 
nately  for  me  the  sand  not  only  prevented  any  sound 
from  reaching  him,  but  its  colour  enabled  me  to  keep 
him  well  in  sight.  The  road  from  the  Mena  House 
Hotel  to  the  Great  Pyramid  is  not  a  long  one,  but  what 
it  lacks  in  length  it  makes  up  in  steepness.  Never  los 
ing  sight  of  Pharos  for  an  instant,  I  ascended  it.  On 
arriving  at  the  top,  I  noticed  that  he  went  straight  for 
ward  to  the  base  of  the  huge  mass,  and  when  he  was 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  155 

sixty  feet  or  so  from  it,  called  something  in  a  loud  voice. 
He  had  scarcely  done  so  before  a  figure  emerged  from 
the  shadow  and  approached  him.  Fearing  they  might 
see  me,  I  laid  myself  down  on  the  sand  behind  a  large 
block  of  stone,  whence  I  could  watch  them,  remaining 
myself  unseen. 

As  far  as  I  could  tell,  the  new-comer  was  undoubt 
edly  an  Arab,  and  from  the  way  in  which  he  towered 
above  Pharos,  must  have  been  a  man  of  gigantic  stat 
ure.  For  some  minutes  they  remained  in  earnest  con 
versation.  Then,  leaving  the  place  where  they  had  met, 
they  went  forward  toward  the  great  building,  the  side 
of  which  they  presently  commenced  to  climb.  After 
a  little  they  disappeared,  and,  feeling  certain  they  had 
entered  the  Pyramid  itself,  I  rose  to  my  feet  and  de 
termined  to  follow. 

The  Great  Pyramid,  as  all  the  world  knows,  is  com 
posed  of  enormous  blocks  of  granite,  each  about  three 
feet  high,  and  arranged  after  the  fashion  of  enormous 
steps.  The  entrance  to  the  passage  which  leads  to  the 
interior  is  on  the  thirteenth  tier,  and  nearly  fifty  feet 
from  the  ground.  With  a  feeling  of  awe  which  may  be 
very  well  understood,  when  I  reached  it  I  paused  be 
fore  entering.  I  did  not  know  on  the  threshold  of 
what  discovery  I  might  be  standing.  And  what  was 
more,  I  reflected  that  if  Pharos  found  me  following 
him,  my  life  would  in  all  probability  pay  the  forfeit. 
My  curiosity,  however,  was  greater  than  my  judg 
ment,  and  being  determined,  since  I  had  come  so  far, 
not  to  go  back  without  learning  all  there  was  to  know, 
I  hardened  my  heart,  and,  stooping  down,  entered  the 
passage.  When  I  say  that  it  is  less  than  four  feet  in 
height,  and  of  but  little  more  than  the  same  width, 
and  that  for  the  first  portion  of  the  way  the  path  slopes 
downward  at  an  angle  of  twenty-six  degrees,  some 


156  PHAROS,  THE   EGYPTIAN. 

vague  idea  may  be  obtained  of  the  unpleasant  place  it 
is.  But  if  I  go  on  to  add  that  the  journey  had  to  be 
undertaken  in  total  darkness,  without  any  sort  of 
knowledge  of  what  lay  before  me,  or  whether  I  should 
ever  be  able  to  find  my  way  out  again,  the  foolhardiness 
of  the  undertaking  will  be  even  more  apparent.  Step 
by  step,  and  with  a  caution  which  I  can  scarcely  exag 
gerate,  I  made  my  way  down  the  incline,  trying  every 
inch  before  I  put  my  weight  upon  it  and  feeling  the 
walls  carefully  with  either  hand  in  order  to  make  sure 
that  no  other  passages  branched  off  to  right  or  left. 
After  I  had  been  advancing  for  what  seemed  an  inter 
minable  period,  but  could  not  in  reality  have  been 
more  than  five  minutes,  I  found  myself  brought  to  a 
standstill  by  a  solid  wall  of  stone.  For  a  moment  I 
was  at  a  loss  how  to  proceed.  Then  I  found  that  there 
was  a  turn  in  the  passage,  and  the  path,  instead  of  con 
tinuing  to  descend,  was  beginning  to  work  upward, 
whereupon,  still  feeling  my  way  as  before,  I  continued 
my  journey  of  exploration.  The  heat  was  stifling,  and 
more  than  once  foul  things,  that  only  could  have  been 
bats,  flapped  against  my  face  and  hands  and  sent  a  cold 
shudder  flying  over  me.  Had  I  dared  for  a  moment 
to  think  of  the  immense  quantity  of  stone  that  towered 
above  me,  or  what  my  fate  would  be  had  a  stone  fallen 
from  its  place  and  blocked  the  path  behind  me,  I  be 
lieve  I  should  have  been  lost  for  good  and  all.  But, 
frightened  as  I  was,  a  greater  terror  was  in  store  for  me. 
After  I  had  been  proceeding  for  some  time  along 
the  passage,  I  found  that  it  was  growing  gradually 
higher.  The  air  was  cooler,  and  raising  my  head  cau 
tiously  in  order  not  to  bump  it  against  the  ceiling,  I 
discovered  that  I  was  able  to  stand  upright.  I  lifted 
my  hand,  first  a  few  inches,  and  then  to  the  full  extent 
of  my  arm;  but  the  roof  was  still  beyond  my  reach.  I 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  157 

moved  a  little  to  my  right  in  order  to  ascertain  if  I 
could  touch  the  wall,  and  then  to  the  left.  But  once 
more  only  air  rewarded  me.  It  was  evident  that  I  had 
left  the  passage  and  was  standing  in  some  large  apart 
ment;  but,  since  I  knew  nothing  of  the  interior  of  the 
Pyramid,  I  could  not  understand  what  it  was  or  where 
it  could  be  situated.  Feeling  convinced  in  my  own 
mind  that  I  had  missed  my  way,  since  I  had  neither 
heard  nor  seen  anything  of  Pharos,  I  turned  round  and 
set  off  in  what  I  considered  must  be  the  direction  of  the 
wall;  but  though  I  walked  step  by  step,  once  more  feel 
ing  every  inch  of  the  way  with  my  foot  before  I  put  it 
down,  I  seemed  to  have  covered  fifty  yards  before  my 
knuckles  came  in  contact  with  it.  Having  located  it, 
I  fumbled  my  way  along  it  in  the  hope  that  I  might 
discover  the  doorway  through  which  I  had  entered; 
but  though  I  tried  for  some  considerable  time,  no  sort 
of  success  rewarded  me.  I  paused  and  tried  to  remem 
ber  which  way  I  had  been  facing  when  I  made  the  dis 
covery  that  I  was  no  longer  in  the  passage.  In  the 
dark,  however,  one  way  seemed  like  another,  and  I  had 
turned  myself  about  so  many  times  that  it  was  impossi 
ble  to  tell  which  was  the  original  direction.  Oh,  how 
bitterly  I  repented  having  ever  left  the  hotel!  For  all 
I  knew  to  the  contrary  I  might  have  wandered  into 
some  subterranean  chamber  never  visited  by  the  Bed 
ouins  or  tourists,  whence  my  feeble  cries  for  help 
would  not  be  heard,  and  in  which  I  might  remain 
until  death  took  pity  on  me  and  released  me  from 
my  sufferings. 

Fighting  down  the  terror  that  had  risen  in  my 
heart  and  threatened  to  annihilate  me,  I  once  more 
commenced  my  circuit  of  the  walls,  but  again  without 
success.  I  counted  my  steps  backward  and  forward 
in  the  hope  of  locating  my  position.  I  went  straight 
11 


158  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

ahead  on  the  chance  of  striking  the  doorway  haphaz 
ard,  but  it  was  always  with  the  same  unsatisfactory  re 
sult.  Against  my  better  judgment  I  endeavoured  to 
convince  myself  that  I  was  really  in  no  danger,  but  it 
was  useless.  At  last  my  fortitude  gave  way,  a  clammy 
sweat  broke  out  upon  my  forehead,  and  remembering 
that  Pharos  was  in  the  building,  I  shouted  aloud  to 
him  for  help.  My  voice  rang  and  echoed  in  that 
ghastly  chamber  till  the  reiteration  of  it  well-nigh 
drove  me  mad.  I  listened,  but  no  answer  came.  Once 
more  I  called,  but  with  the  same  result.  At  last,  thor 
oughly  beside  myself  with  terror,  I  began  to  run  aim 
lessly  about  the  room  in  the  dark,  beating  myself 
against  the  walls  and  all  the  time  shouting  at  the  top 
of  my  voice  for  assistance.  Only  when  I  had  no  longer 
strength  to  move,  or  voice  to  continue  my  appeals,  did 
I  cease,  and  falling  upon  the  ground  rocked  myself  to 
and  fro  in  silent  agony.  Times  out  of  number  1  cursed 
myself  and  my  senseless  stupidity  in  having  left  the 
hotel  to  follow  Pharos.  I  had  sworn  to  protect  the 
woman  I  loved,  and  yet  on  the  first  opportunity  I  had 
ruined  everything  by  behaving  in  this  thoughtless 
fashion. 

Once  more  I  sprang  to  my  feet  and  once  more  I 
set  off  on  my  interminable  search.  This  time  I  went 
more  quietly  to  work,  feeling  my  way  carefully  and 
making  a  mental  note  of  every  indentation  in  the 
walls.  Being  unsuccessful,  I  commenced  again,  and 
once  more  scored  a  failure.  Then  the  horrible  silence, 
the  death-like  atmosphere,  the  flapping  of  the  bats  in 
the  darkness,  and  the  thought  of  the  history  and  age  of 
the  place  in  which  I  was  imprisoned,  must  have  af 
fected  my  brain,  and  for  a  space  I  believe  I  went  mad. 
At  any  rate,  I  have  a  confused  recollection  of  running 
round  and  round  that  loathsome  place  and  of  at  last 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  159 

falling  exhausted  upon  the  ground,  firmly  believing 
my  last  hour  had  come.  Then  my  senses  left  me  and  I 
became  unconscious. 

How  long  I  remained  in  the  condition  I  have  just 
described  I  can  not  say.  All  I  know  is  that  when  I 
opened  my  eyes  I  found  the  chamber  bright  with  the 
light  of  torches,  and  no  less  a  person  than  Pharos 
kneeling  beside  me.  Behind  him,  but  at  a  respectful 
distance,  were  a  number  of  Arabs,  and  among  them  a 
man  whose  height  could  scarcely  have  been  less  than 
seven  feet.  This  was  evidently  the  individual  who  had 
met  Pharos  at  the  entrance  to  the  Pyramid. 

u  Kisc,"  said  Pharos,  addressing  me,  "  and  let  this 
be  a  warning  to  you  never  to  attempt  to  spy  on  me 
again.  Think  not  that  I  was  unaware  that  you  were 
following  me,  or  that  the  mistake  on  your  part  in  tak 
ing  the  wrong  turning  in  the  passage  was  not  or 
dained.  The  time  has  now  gone  by  for  me  to  speak  to 
you  in  riddles;  our  comedy  is  at  an  end,  and  for  the 
future  you  are  my  property  to  do  with  as  I  please. 
You  will  have  no  will  but  my  pleasure,  no  thought 
but  to  act  as  I  shall  tell  you.  Eise  and  follow  me." 

Having  said  this,  he  made  a  sign  to  the  torch- 
bearers,  who  immediately  led  the  way  toward  the  door 
which  was  now  easy  enough  to  find.  Pharos  followed 
them,  and,  more  dead  than  alive,  I  came  next,  while 
the  tall  man  I  have  mentioned  brought  up  the  rear. 
In  this  order  we  groped  our  way  down  the  narrow  pas 
sage.  Then  it  was  that  I  discovered  the  mistake  I  had 
made  in  entering.  Whether  by  accident,  or  by  the  ex 
ercise  of  Pharos's  will,  as  he  had  desired  me  to  believe, 
it  was  plain  I  had  taken  the  wrong  turning,  and,  in 
stead  of  going  on  to  the  King's  Hall,  where  no  doubt 
I  should  have  found  the  man  I  was  following,  I  had 
turned  to  the  left  and  had  entered  the  apartment 


160  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

popularly,  but  erroneously,  called  the  Queen's 
Chamber. 

It  would  have  been  difficult  to  estimate  the  thank 
fulness  I  felt  on  reaching  the  open  air  once  more. 
How  sweet  the  cool  night  wind  seemed  after  the  close 
and  suffocating  atmosphere  of  the  Pyramid  I  can  not 
hope  to  make  you  understand.  And  yet,  if  I  had  only 
known,  it  would  have  been  better  for  me,  far  better, 
had  I  never  been  found,  and  my  life  come  to  an  end 
when  I  fell  senseless  upon  the  floor. 

When  we  had  left  the  passage  and  had  clambered 
down  to  the  sands  once  more,  Pharos  bade  me  follow 
him,  and  leading  the  way  round  the  base  of  the  Pyra 
mid,  conducted  me  down  the  hill  toward  the  Sphinx. 

For  fully  thirty  years  I  had  looked  forward  to  the 
moment  when  I  should  stand  before  this  stupendous 
monument  and  try  to  read  its  riddle;  but  in  my  wildest 
dreams  I  had  never  thought  to  do  so  in  such  company. 
Looking  down  at  me  in  the  starlight,  across  the  gulf 
of  untold  centuries,  it  seemed  to  smile  disdainfully  at 
my  small  woes. 

"  To-night,"  said  Pharos,  in  that  same  extraordi 
nary  voice  he  had  used  a  quarter  of  an  hour  before, 
when  he  bade  me  follow  him,  "  you  enter  upon  a  new 
phase  of  your  existence.  Here,  under  the  eyes  of  the 
Watcher  of  Harmachis,  you  shall  learn  something  of 
the  wisdom  of  the  ancients." 

At  a  signal  the  tall  man  whom  he  had  met  at  the 
foot  of  the  Pyramid  sprang  forward  and  seized  me  by 
the  arms  from  behind  with  a  grip  of  iron.  Then  Pha 
ros  produced  from  his  pocket  a  small  case  containing 
a  bottle.  From  the  latter  he  poured  a  few  spoonfuls  of 
some  fluid  into  a  silver  cup,  which  he  placed  to  my 
mouth. 

"  Drink,"  he  said. 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  1G1 

At  any  other  time  I  should  have  refused  to  com 
ply  with  such  a  request;  but  on  this  occasion  so  com 
pletely  had  I  fallen  under  his  influence  that  I  was 
powerless  to  disobey. 

The  opiate,  or  whatever  it  was,  must  have  been  a 
powerful  one,  for  I  had  scarcely  swallowed  it  before  an 
attack  of  giddiness  seized  me.  The  outline  of  the 
Sphinx  and  the  black  bulk  of  the  Great  Pyramid  be 
yond  were  merged  in  the  general  darkness.  I  could 
hear  the  wind  of  the  desert  singing  in  my  ears  and  the 
voice  of  Pharos  muttering  something  in  an  unknown 
tongue  beside  me.  After  that  I  sank  down  on  the  sand 
and  presently  became  oblivious  of  everything. 

How  long  I  remained  asleep  I  have  no  idea.  All 
I  know  is,  that  with  a  suddenness  that  was  almost 
startling,  I  found  myself  awake  and  standing  in  a 
crowded  street.  The  sun  shone  brilliantly,  and  the  air 
was  soft  and  warm.  Magnificent  buildings,  of  an  archi 
tecture  that  my  studies  had  long  since  made  me  famil 
iar  with,  lined  it  on  either  hand,  while  in  the  roadway 
were  many  chariots  and  gorgeously-furnished  litters, 
before  and  beside  which  ran  slaves,  crying  aloud  in 
their  masters'  names  for  room. 

From  the  position  of  the  sun  in  the  sky,  I  gathered 
that  it  must  be  close  upon  midday.  The  crowd  was 
momentarily  increasing,  and  as  I  walked,  marvelling  at 
the  beauty  of  the  buildings,  I  was  jostled  to  and  fro 
and  oftentimes  called  upon  to  stand  aside.  That  some 
thing  unusual  had  happened  to  account  for  this  ex 
citement  was  easily  seen,  but  what  it  was,  being  a 
stranger,  I  had  no  idea.  Sounds  of  wailing  greeted  me 
on  every  side,  and  in  all  the  faces  upon  which  I  looked 
signs  of  overwhelming  sorrow  were  to  be  seen. 

Suddenly  a  murmur  of  astonishment  and  anger  ran 
through  the  crowd,  which  separated  hurriedly  to  right 


162  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

and  left.  A  moment  later  a  man  came  through  the 
lane  thus  formed.  lie  was  short  and  curiously  mis 
shapen,  and  as  he  walked  he  covered  his  face  with  the 
sleeve  of  his  robe,  as  though  he  were  stricken  with 
grief  or  shame. 

Turning  to  a  man  who  stood  beside  me,  and  who 
seemed  even  more  excited  than  his  neighbours,  I  in 
quired  who  the  new-comer  might  be. 

"Who  art  thou,  stranger?"  he  answered,  turning 
sharply  on  me.  "  And  whence  comest  thou  that  thou 
knowest  not  Ptahmes,  Chief  of  the  King's  Magicians? 
Learn,  then,  that  he  hath  fallen  from  his  high  estate, 
inasmuch  as  he  made  oath  before  Pharaoh  that  the 
first-born  of  the  King  should  take  no  hurt  from  the 
spell  this  Israelitish  sorcerer,  Moses,  hath  cast  upon  the 
land.  Now  the  child  and  all  the  first-born  of  Egypt 
are  dead,  and  the  heart  of  Pharaoh  being  hardened 
against  his  servant,  he  hath  shamed  him  and  driven 
him  from  before  his  face." 

As  he  finished  speaking,  the  disgraced  man  with 
drew  his  robe  from  his  face,  and  I  realised  the  astound 
ing  fact  that  Ptalimes  the  Magician  and  Pharos  the 
Egyptian  ii'ere  not  ancestor  and  descendant,  but  one 
and  the  same  person. 


CIIAPTEE   XI. 

Or  the  circumstances  under  which  my  senses  re 
turned  to  me  after  the  remarkable  vision,  for  that  is 
the  only  name  I  can  assign  to  it,  which  I  have  de 
scribed  in  the  preceding  chapter,  only  the  vaguest  rec 
ollection  remains  to  me. 

When  Pharos  had  ordered  me  to  drink  the  stuff 
he  had  poured  out,  we  were  standing  before  the  Sphinx 
at  Gizeh;  now,  when  I  opened  my  eyes,  I  was  back  once 
more  in  my  bedroom  at  the  hotel  in  Cairo.  Brilliant 
sunshine  was  streaming  in  through  the  jalousies,  and  I 
could  hear  footsteps  in  the  corridor  outside.  At  first  I 
felt  inclined  to  treat  the  whole  as  a  dream;  but  the 
marks  upon  my  hands,  made  when  I  had  beaten  them 
on  the  rough  walls  of  that  terrible  chamber  in  the  Pyr 
amid,  soon  showed  me  the  futility  of  so  doing.  I  re 
membered  how  I  had  run  round  and  round  that  dread 
ful  place  in  search  of  a  way  out,  and  the  horror  of  the 
recollection  was  sufficient  to  bring  a  cold  sweat  out 
once  more  upon  my  forehead.  Strange  to  say,  I  mean 
strange  in  the  light  of  all  that  has  transpired  since, 
the  memory  of  the  threat  Pharos  had  used  to  me  caused 
me  no  uneasiness,  and  yet,  permeating  my  whole  being, 
was  a  loathing  for  him  and  a  haunting  fear  that  was 
beyond  description  in  words.  This  dislike  was  the  out 
come  not  so  much  of  a  physical  animosity,  if  I  may  so 
designate  it,  as  of  a  peculiar  description  of  supernat 
ural  fear.  Reason  with  myself  as  I  would  I  could  not 

163 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

get  rid  of  the  belief  that  the  man  was  more  than  he 
pretended  to  be,  that  there  was  some  link  between  him 
and  the  Unseen  which  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  un 
derstand.  Arguing  with  myself  in  this  way  I  was  the 
more  disposed  to  believe  in  the  vision  of  the  preceding 
night. 

On  consulting  my  watch  I  was  amazed  to  find  that 
it  wanted  only  a  few  minutes  of  ten  o'clock.  I  sprang 
from  my  bed,  and  a  moment  later  came  within  an  ace 
of  measuring  my  length  upon  the  floor.  AVhat  occa 
sioned  this  weakness  I  could  not  tell,  but  the  fact  re 
mains  that  I  was  as  feeble  as  a  little  child.  The  room 
spun  round  and  round  until  I  became  so  giddy  that  I 
was  compelled  to  clutch  at  a  table  for  support.  What 
was  even  stranger,  I  was  conscious  of  a  sharp  pricking 
on  my  left  arm  a  little  above  the  elbow,  which  event 
ually  became  so  sharp  that  it  could  be  felt  not  only  on 
the  tips  of  my  fingers  but  for  some  distance  down  my 
side.  To  examine  the  place  was  the  work  of  a  moment. 
On  the  fleshy  part  of  the  arm,  three  inches  or  so  above 
the  elbow,  was  a  small  spot,  such  as  might  have  been 
made  by  some  sharp  pointed  instrument,  a  hypodermic 
syringe  for  instance,  and  which  was  fast  changing  from 
a  pale  pink  to  a  purple  hue.  My  wonderment  was  in 
creased  when  I  discovered  that  the  spot  itself,  and  the 
flesh  surrounding  it  for  more  than  an  inch,  was  incapa 
ble  of  sensation.  I  puzzled  my  brain?  in  vain  to  ac 
count  for  its  presence  there.  I  could  not  remember 
scratching  myself  with  anything  in  my  room,  nor  could 
I  discover  that  the  coat  I  had  worn  on  the  preceding 
evening  showed  any  signs  of  a  puncture. 

After  a  few  moments  the  feeling  of  weakness  which 
had  seized  me  when  I  first  left  my  bed  wore  off.  I 
accordingly  dressed  myself  with  as  much  despatcli  as  I 
could  put  into  the  operation,  and  my  toilet  being  com- 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  165 

pleted,  left  my  room  and  went  in  search  of  the  Fraulein 
Valerie.  To  my  disappointment  she  was  not  visible. 
I,  however,  discovered  Pharos  seated  in  the  veranda,  in 
the  full  glare  of  the  morning  sun,  with  the  monkey, 
Pehtes,  on  his  knee.  For  once  he  was  in  the  very 
best  of  tempers.  Indeed,  since  I  had  first  made  his 
acquaintance  I  never  remembered  to  have  known  him 
so  merry.  At  a  sign  I  seated  myself  beside  him. 

"  My  friend,"  he  began,  "  I  am  rejoiced  to  see  you. 
Permit  me  to  inform  you  that  you  had  a  narrow  escape 
last  night.  However,  since  you  are  up  and  about 
this  morning  I  presume  you  are  feeling  none  the  worse 
for  it." 

I  described  the  fit  of  vertigo  which  had  overtaken 
me  when  I  rose  from  my  bed,  and  went  on  to  question 
him  as  to  what  had  happened  after  I  had  become  un 
conscious  on  the  preceding  night. 

"I  assure  you  you  came  very  near  being  a  lost  man," 
he  answered.  "  As  good  luck  had  it  I  had  not  left  the 
Pyramid  and  so  heard  you  cry  for  help,  otherwise  you 
might  be  in  the  Queen's  Hall  at  this  minute.  You  were 
unconscious  when  we  found  you,  and  you  had  not  re 
covered  by  the  time  we  reached  home  again." 

"  Not  recovered?  "  I  cried  in  amazement.  "  But  I 
walked  out  of  the  Pyramid  unassisted,  and  accompa 
nied  you  across  the  sands  to  the  Sphinx,  where  you  gave 
me  something  to  drink  and  made  me  see  a  vision." 

Pharos  gazed  incredulously  at  me. 

"  My  dear  fellow,  you  must  have  dreamed  it,"  he 
said.  "  After  all  you  had  gone  through  it  is  scarcely 
likely  I  should  have  permitted  you  to  walk,  while  as 
for  the  vision  you  speak  of — well,  I  must  leave  that  to 
your  own  common  sense.  If  necessary  my  servants 
will  testify  to  the  difficulty  we  experienced  in  getting 
you  out  of  the  Pyramid,  while  the  very  fact  that  you 


166  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

yourself  have  no  recollection  of  the  homeward  journey 
would  help  to  corroborate  what  I  say." 

This  was  all  very  plausible;  at  the  same  time  I  was 
far  from  being  convinced.  I  knew  my  man  too  well  by 
this  time  to  believe  that  because  he  denied  any  knowl 
edge  of  the  circumstance  in  question  he  was  really  as 
innocent  as  he  was  plainly  anxious  I  should  think  him. 
The  impression  the  vision,  'for  I  shall  always  call  it 
by  that  name,  had  made  upon  me  was  still  clear  and 
distinct  in  my  mind.  I  closed  my  eyes  and  once  more 
saw  the  street  filled  with  that  strangely  dressed  crowd, 
which  drew  back  on  either  hand  to  make  a  way  for 
the  disgraced  Magician  to  pass  through.  It  was  all  so 
real,  and  yet,  as  I  am  compelled  to  confess,  so  improb 
able,  that  I  scarcely  knew  what  to  think.  Before  I 
could  come  to  any  satisfactory  decision  Pharos  turned 
to  me  again. 

"  Whatever  your  condition  last  night  may  have 
been,"  he  said,  "  it  is  plain  you  are  better  this  morning, 
and  I  am  rejoiced  to  see  it,  for  the  reason  I  have  made 
arrangements  to  complete  the  business  which  has 
brought  us  here.  Had  you  not  been  well  enough  to 
travel  I  should  have  been  compelled  to  leave  you  be 
hind." 

I  searched  his  face  for  an  explanation. 

"  The  mummy?  "  I  asked. 

"  Exactly,"  he  replied.  "  The  mummy.  "We  leave 
Cairo  this  afternoon  for  Luxor.  I  have  made  the  ne 
cessary  arrangements,  and  we  join  the  steamer  at  mid 
day,  that  is  to  say  in  about  two  hours'  time." 

I  inquired  after  the  Friiulein  Valerie,  whom  I  had 
not  yet  seen,  whereupon  Pharos  informed  me  that  she 
had  gone  to  her  cabin  to  prepare  for  the  excursion  up 
the  Nile. 

"  And  now,  Mr.  Forrester,"  he  said,  rising  from  his 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  167 

chair  and  returning  the  monkey  to  his  place  of  shelter 
in  the  breast  of  his  coat,  "  if  I  were  you  I  should  follow 
her  example.  It  will  be  necessary  for  us  to  start  as 
punctually  as  possible." 

Sharp  on  the  stroke  of  twelve  a  carriage  made  its 
appearance  at  the  door  of  the  hotel.  The  Fraulein 
Valerie,  Pharos,  and  myself  took  our  places  in  it,  the 
gigantic  Arab  whom  I  had  seen  at  the  Pyramid  on  the 
preceding  night,  and  who  I  was  quite  certain  had  held 
my  arms  when  Pharos  compelled  me  to  drink  the 
potion  before  the  Sphinx,  took  his  place  beside  the 
driver,  and  we  set  off  along  the  road  to  Bulak  en 
route  to  the  Embabeh.  Having  reached  this,  one  of 
the  most  characteristic  spots  in  Cairo,  we  made  our 
way  along  the  bank  toward  a  landing-stage,  beside 
which  a  handsome  steamer  was  moored.  If  anything 
had  been  wanting  to  convince  me  of  the  respect  felt 
for  Pharos  by  the  Arabs,  I  should  have  found  it  in  the 
behaviour  of  the  crew  of  this  vessel.  Had  he  been 
imbued  with  the  powers  of  life  and  death,  they  could 
scarcely  have  stood  in  greater  awe  of  him. 

Our  party  being  on  board,  there  was  no  occasion 
for  any  further  delay,  consequently,  as  soon  as  we  had 
reached  the  upper  deck,  the  ropes  were  cast  off,  and 
with  prodigious  fuss  the  steamer  made  her  way  out  into 
mid  stream,  and  began  the  voyage  which  was  destined 
to  end  in  such  a  strange  fashion  for  all  our  party. 

Full  as  my  life  had  been  of  extraordinary  circum 
stances  during  the  last  few  weeks,  I  am  not  certain 
that  my  feelings  as  I  stood  upon  the  deck  of  the  steam 
er  while  she  made  her  way  up  stream,  passed  the  Khe 
dive's  Palace,  the  Kasr-en-Nil  barracks,  Kasr-el-Ain, 
the  Island  of  Rod  ah,  and  Gizeh,  did  not  eclipse  them. 
Our  vessel  was  a  most  luxurious  one,  and  to  charter  her 
must  have  cost  Pharos  a  pretty  penny.  Immediately 


168  PHAKOS,   THE  EGYPTIAN. 

we  got  under  way  the  latter  departed  to  his  cabin,  while 
the  Fraulein  Valerie  and  I  stood  side  by  side  under  the 
awning,  watching  the  fast-changing  landscape  in  si 
lence.  The  day  was  hot,  with  scarcely  a  breath  of  wind 
to  cool  the  air.  Ever  since  the  first  week  in  June  the 
Nile  had  been  rising,  and  was  now  running  a  swift 
and  muddy  river  only  a  few  feet  below  the  level  of  her 
banks.  I  looked  at  my  companion,  and  as  I  did  so 
thought  of  all  that  we  had  been  through  together  in 
the  short  time  we  had  known  each  other.  Less  than  a 
month  before,  Pharos  and  I  had  to  all  intents  and  pur 
poses  been  strangers,  and  Valerie  and  I  had  not  met  at 
all.  Now  I  was  embarking  on  a  voyage  up  the  Xile  in 
their  company,  and  for  what  purpose?  To  restore  the 
body  of  Merenptah's  Chief  Magician  to  the  tomb  from 
which  it  had  been  taken  by  my  own  father  nearly 
twenty  years  before.  Could  anything  have  seemed 
more  unlikely,  and  yet  could  anything  have  been  more 
true?  Amiable  as  were  my  relations  with  my  host  at 
present,  there  was  a  feeling  deep  down  in  my  heart  that 
troublous  times  lay  ahead  of  us.  The  explanation 
Pharos  had  given  me  of  what  had  occurred  on  the  pre 
ceding  night  had  been  plausible  enough,  as  I  have  said, 
and  yet  I  was  far  from  being  convinced  by  it.  There 
were  only  two  things  open  to  me  to  believe.  Either 
he  had  stood  over  me  saying,  "  For  the  future  you  are 
mine  to  do  with  as  I  please;  you  will  have  no  will  but 
my  pleasure,  no  thought  but  to  act  as  I  shall  tell  you," 
or  I  had  dreamed  it.  When  I  had  taxed  him  with  it 
some  hours  before,  he  had  laughed  at  me,  and  had  told 
me  to  attribute  it  all  to  the  excited  condition  of  my 
brain.  But  the  feeling  of  reality  with  which  it  had  in 
spired  me  was,  I  felt  sure,  too  strong  for  it  to  have  been 
imaginary;  and  yet,  do  what  I  would,  I  could  not 
throw  off  the  unpleasant  belief  that,  however  much  I 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  1G9 

might  attempt  to  delude  myself  to  the  contrary,  I  was 
in  reality  more  deeply  in  his  power  than  I  fancied  my 
self  to  be. 

One  thing  struck  me  most  forcibly,  and  that  was 
the  fact  that  now  we  were  away  from  Cairo,  the  Frau- 
lein  Valerie  was  in  better  spirits  than  I  had  yet  seen 
her.  Glad  as  I  was,  however,  to  find  her  happier,  the 
knowledge  of  her  cheerfulness,  for  some  reason  or 
another,  chilled  and  even  disappointed  me.  Yet, 
Heaven  knows,  had  I  been  asked,  I  must  have  con 
fessed  that  I  should  have  been  even  more  miserable 
had  she  been  unhappy.  When  I  joined  them  at  lunch 
I  was  convinced  that  I  was  a  discordant  note.  I  was 
thoroughly  out  of  humour,  not  only  with  myself,  but 
with  the  world  in  general,  and  the  fit  had  not  left  me 
when  I  made  my  way  up  to  the  deck  again. 

Downcast  as  I  was,  however,  I  could  not  repress  an 
exclamation  of  pleasure  at  the  scene  I  saw  before  me 
when  I  reached  it.  In  the  afternoon  light  the  view, 
usually  so  uninviting,  was  picturesque  in  the  extreme. 
Palm  groves  decorated  either  bank,  with  here  and  there 
an  Arab  village  peering  from  among  them,  while,  as  if 
to  afford  a  fitting  background,  in  the  distance  could 
be  seen  the  faint  outline  of  the  Libyan  Hills.  At  any 
other  time  I  should  have  been  unable  to  contain  my 
self  until  I  had  made  a  sketch  of  it;  now,  however, 
while  it  impressed  me  with  its  beauty,  it  only  served  to 
remind  me  of  the  association  in  which  I  found  myself. 
The  centre  of  the  promenade  deck,  immediately  abaft 
the  funnel,  was  arranged  somewhat  in  the  fashion  of  a 
sitting-room,  with  a  carpet,  easy-chairs,  a  sofa,  and  cor 
responding  luxuries.  I  seated  myself  in  one  of  the 
chairs,  and  was  still  idly  watching  the  country  through 
which  we  were  passing,  when  Pharos  made  his  appear 
ance  from  below,  carrying  the  monkey  Pehtes  in  his 


170  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

arms,  and  seated  himself  beside  me.  It  was  plain  that 
he  was  still  in  a  contented  frame  of  mind,  and  his 
opening  speech,  when  he  addressed  me,  showed  that  he 
had  no  intention  of  permitting  me  to  be  in  anything 
else. 

"  My  dear  Forrester,"  he  said  in  what  was  intended 
to  be  a  conciliatory  tone,  "  I  feel  sure  you  have  some 
thing  upon  your  mind  that  is  worrying  you.  Is  it  pos 
sible  you  are  still  brooding  over  what  you  said  to  me 
this  morning?  Remember  you  are  my  guest;  I  am  re 
sponsible  for  your  happiness.  I  can  not  permit  you  to 
wear  such  an  expression  of  melancholy.  Pray  tell  me 
your  trouble,  and  if  I  can  help  you  in  any  way,  rest 
assured  I  shall  only  be  too  glad  to  do  so." 

"  I  am  afraid,  after  the  explanation  you  gave  me 
this  morning,  that  it  is  impossible  for  you  to  help  me," 
I  answered.  "  To  tell  the  truth,  I  have  been  worrying 
over  what  happened  last  night,  and  the  more  I  think 
of  it  the  less  able  I  am  to  understand." 

"What  is  it  you  find  difficult  to  understand?"  he 
inquired.  "  I  thought  we  were  agreed  on  the  subject 
when  we  spoke  of  it  this  morning." 

"  Not  as  far  as  I  am  concerned,"  I  replied.  "  And 
if  you  will  consider  for  a  moment,  I  fancy  you  will  un 
derstand  why.  As  I  told  you  then,  I  have  the  best 
possible  recollection  of  all  that  befell  me  in  the  Pyr 
amid,  and  of  the  fright  I  sustained  in  that  terrible 
room.  I  remember  your  coming  to  my  assistance,  and 
I  am  as  convinced  that,  when  my  senses  returned  to 
me,  I  followed  you  down  the  passage,  out  into  the  open 
air,  and  across  the  sands  to  a  spot  before  the  Sphinx, 
where  you  gave  me  some  strange  concoction  to  drink, 
as  I  am  that  I  am  now  sitting  on  this  deck  beside  you." 

"  And  I  assure  you  with  equal  sincerity  that  it  is 
all  a  delusion,"  he  replied.  "  You  must  have  dreamed 


PHAEOS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

the  whole  thing.  Now  I  come  to  think  of  it,  I  do  re 
member  that  you  said  something  about  a  vision  which 
I  enabled  you  to  see.  Perhaps,  as  your  memory  is  so 
keen  on  the  subject,  you  may  be  able  to  give  me  some 
idea  of  its  nature." 

I  accordingly  described  what  I  had  seen.  From  the 
way  he  hung  upon  my  words  it  was  evident  that  the 
subject  interested  him  more  than  he  cared  to  confess. 
Indeed,  when  I  had  finished  he  gave  a  little  gasp  that 
was  plainly  one  of  relief,  though  why  he  should  have 
been  so  I  could  not  understand. 

"  And  the  man  you  saw  coming  through  the  crowd, 
this  Ptahmes,  what  was  he  like?  Did  you  recognise 
him?  Should  you  know  his  face  again?" 

"  I  scarcely  know  how  to  tell  you,"  I  answered  dif 
fidently,  a  doubt  as  to  whether  I  had  really  seen  the 
vision  I  had  described  coming  over  me  for  the  first 
time,  now  that  I  was  brought  face  to  face  with  the  as 
sertion  I  was  about  to  make.  "  It  seems  so  impossible, 
and  I  am  weak  enough  to  feel  that  I  should  not  like 
you  to  think  I  am  jesting.  The  truth  of  the  matter  is, 
the  face  of  the  disgraced  Magician  was  none  other  than 
your  own.  You  were  Ptahmes,  the  man  who  walked 
with  his  face  covered  with  his  mantle,  and  before 
whom  the  crowd  drew  back  as  if  they  feared  him,  and 
yet  hated  him  the  more  because  they  did  so." 

"The  slaves,  the  craven  curs!"  muttered  Pharos 
fiercely  to  himself,  suddenly  oblivious  to  my  presence, 
his  sunken  eyes  looking  out  across  the  water,  but  I  am 
convinced  seeing  nothing.  "  So  long  as  he  was  suc 
cessful  they  sang  his  praises  through  the  city,  but 
when  he  failed  and  was  cast  out  from  before  Pharaoh, 
there  were  only  six  in  all  the  country  brave  enough  to 
declare  themselves  his  friends." 

Then  recollecting  himself  he  turned  to  me,  and 


172  PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN. 

with  one  of  his  peculiar  laughs,  to  which  I  had  by 
this  time  grown  accustomed, he  continued:  "But  there, 
if  I  talk  like  this  you  will  begin  to  imagine  that  I 
really  have  some  association  with  my  long-deceased 
relative,  the  man  of  whom  we  are  speaking,  and  whose 
mummy  is  in  the  cabin  yonder.  Your  account  of  the 
vision,  if  by  that  name  you  still  persist  in  calling  it, 
is  extremely  interesting,  and  goes  another  step  toward 
proving  how  liable  the  human  brain  is,  under  stress  of 
great  excitement,  to  seize  upon  the  most  unlikely  sto 
ries,  and  even  to  invest  them  with  the  necessary  mise- 
en-scene.  Now  I'll  be  bound  you  could  reproduce  the 
whole  picture,  were  such  a  thing  necessary — the  build 
ings,  the  chariots,  the  dresses,  nay  even  the  very  faces 
of  the  crowd." 

"  I  am  quite  sure  I  could,"  I  answered,  filled  with 
sudden  excitement  at  the  idea,  "  and  what  is  more  I 
will  do  so.  So  vivid  was  the  impression  it  made  upon 
my  mind  that  not  a  detail  has  escaped  my  memory. 
Indeed,  I  really  believe  that  it  will  be  found  that  a 
large  proportion  of  the  things  I  saw  then  I  had  never 
seen  or  heard  of  before.  This,  I  think,  should  go  some 
way  toward  proving  that  my  story  is  not  the  fallacy 
you  suppose." 

"  You  mistake  me,  my  dear  Forrester,"  he  has 
tened  to  reply.  "  I  do  not  go  so  far  as  to  declare  it  to 
be  altogether  a  fallacy;  I  simply  say  that  what  you 
think  you  saw  must  have  been  the  effect  of  the  fright 
you  received  in  the  Pyramid.  But  your  idea  of  paint 
ing  the  picture  is  distinctly  a  good  one,  and  I  shall 
look  forward  with  pleasure  to  giving  you  my  opinion 
upon  it  when  it  is  finished.  As  you  are  well  aware,  I 
am  a  fair  Egyptologist,  and  I  have  no  doubt  I  shall  be 
able  to  detect  any  error  in  the  composition,  should  one 
exist." 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  173 

"  I  will  obtain  my  materials  from  my  cabin,  and 
set  to  work  at  once,"  I  said,  rising  from  my  chair, "  and 
when  I  have  finished  you  shall  certainly  give  me  your 
opinion  on  it." 

As  on  a  similar  occasion  already  described,  under 
the  influence  of  my  enthusiasm,  the  feeling  of  animos 
ity  I  usually  entertained  toward  him  left  me  entirely. 
I  went  to  my  cabin,  found  the  things  I  wanted,  and 
returned  with  them  to  the  deck.  When  I  reached  it 
I  found  the  Fraulein  Valerie  there.  She  was  dressed 
in  white  from  head  to  foot,  and  was  slowly  fanning 
herself  with  the  same  large  ostrich-feather  fan  which  I 
remembered  to  have  seen  her  using  on  that  eventful 
night  when  I  had  dined  with  Pharos  in  Naples.  Her 
left  hand  was  hanging  by  her  side,  and  as  I  greeted  her 
and  reseated  myself  in  my  chair,  I  could  not  help  no 
ticing  its  exquisite  proportions. 

"  Mr.  Forrester  was  fortunate  enough  to  be  hon 
oured  by  a  somewhat  extraordinary  dream  last  night," 
said  Pharos  by  way  of  accounting  for  my  sketching 
materials.  "  The  subject  was  Egyptian,  and  I  have 
induced  him  to  try  and  make  a  picture  of  the  scene 
for  our  benefit." 

"  Do  you  feel  equal  to  the  task?  "  Valerie  inquired, 
with  unusual  interest  as  I  thought.  "  Surely  it  must 
be  very  difficult.  As  a  rule  even  the  most  vivid  dreams 
are  so  hard  to  remember  in  detail." 

"  This  was  something  more  than  a  dream,"  I  an 
swered  confidently,  "  as  I  shall  presently  demonstrate 
to  Monsieur  Pharos.  Before  I  begin,  however,  I  am 
going  to  ask  a  favour  in  return." 

"And  what  is  that?"  asked  Pharos. 

"  That  while  I  am  at  work  you  tell  us,  as  far  as  you 
know  it,  the  history  of  Ptahmes,  the  King's  Magician. 
Not  only  does  it  bear  upon  the  subject  of  my  picture, 
12 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

but  it  is  fit  and  proper,  since  we  have  his  mummy  on 
board,  that  we  should  know  more  than  we  at  present  do 
of  our  illustrious  fellow-traveller." 

"  What  could  be  fairer?  "  said  Pharos  after  a  slight 
pause.  "  While  you  paint  I  will  tell  you  all  I  know 
and  since  he  is  my  ancestor,  and  I  have  made  his  life 
my  especial  study,  it  may  be  supposed  I  am  acquainted 
with  as  much  of  his  history  as  research  has  been  able  to 
bring  to  light.  Ptahmes,  or,  as  his  name  signifies, 
the  man  beloved  of  Ptah,  was  the  son  of  Xetruhotep, 
a  Priest  of  the  High  Temple  of  Ammon,  and  a  favour 
ite  of  Rameses  II.  From  the  moment  of  his  birth  great 
things  were  expected  of  him,  for,  by  the  favour  of  the 
gods,  he  was  curiously  misshapen,  and  it  is  well  known 
that  those  whom  the  mighty  ones  punish  in  one  way 
are  usually  compensated  for  it  in  another.  It  is  just 
possible  that  it  may  be  from  him  I  inherit  my  own  un- 
pleasing  exterior.  However,  to  return  to  Ptahmes, 
whose  life,  I  can  assure  you,  forms  an  interesting 
study.  At  an  early  age  the  boy  showed  an  extraordi 
nary  partiality  for  the  mystic,  and  it  was  doubtless  this 
circumstance  that  induced  his  father  to  intrust  him 
to  the  care  of  the  Chief  Magician,  Haper,  a  wise  man, 
by  whom  the  lad  was  brought  up.  Proud  of  his  call 
ing,  and  imbued  with  a  love  for  the  sacred  mysteries, 
it  is  small  wonder  that  he  soon  outdistanced  those  with 
whom  he  was  brought  in  contact.  So  rapid  indeed 
were  the  strides  he  made  that  the  news  of  his  attain 
ments  reached  the  ears  of  Pharaoh.  He  was  summoned 
to  the  royal  presence  and  commanded  to  give  an  exhi 
bition  of  his  powers,  whereupon  the  King  ordered  him 
to  remain  at  Court,  and  to  be  constantly  in  attendance 
upon  his  person.  From  this  point  the  youth's  career 
was  assured.  Year  by  year,  and  step  by  step,  lie  made 
his  way  up  the  ladder  of  fame  till  he  became  a  mighty 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  175 

man  in  the  land,  a  councillor,  Prophet  of  the  North 
and  South,  and  Chief  of  the  King's  Magicians.  Then, 
out  of  the  land  of  Midian  rose  the  star  that,  as  it  had 
been  written,  should  cross  his  path  and  bring  about  his 
downfall.  This  was  the  Israelite  Moses,  who  came  into 
Egypt  and  set  himself  up  against  Pharaoh,  using 
magic,  the  like  of  which  had  never  before  been  seen. 
But  that  portion  of  the  story  is  too  well  known  to  bear 
repetition.  Let  it  suffice  that  Pharaoh  called  together 
his  councillors,  the  principal  of  whom  was  Ptahmes, 
now  a  man  of  mature  years,  and  consulted  with  them. 
Pthamcs,  foreseeing  what  would  happen,  was  for  acced 
ing  to  the  request  made  by  the  Hebrew  and  letting  the 
Israelites  depart  in  peace  from  the  kingdom.  To  this 
course,  however,  Pharaoh  would  not  agree,  and  he  al 
lowed  his  favourite  to  understand  that,  not  only  was 
such  advice  the  reverse  of  palatable,  but  that  a  repeti 
tion  of  it  would  in  all  probability  deprive  him  of  the 
royal  favour.  Once  more  the  Hebrews  appeared  before 
Pharaoh  and  gave  evidence  of  their  powers,  speaking 
openly  to  the  King  and  using  threats  of  vengeance  in 
the  event  of  their  demands  not  being  acceded  to.  But 
Pharaoh  was  stiff-necked  and  refused  to  listen,  and  in 
consequence  evil  days  descended  upon  Egypt.  By  the 
magic  of  Moses  the  fish  died,  and  the  waters  of  the  Xile 
were  polluted  so  that  the  people  could  not  drink;  frogs, 
in  such  numbers  as  had  never  been  seen  before,  made 
their  appearance  and  covered  the  face  of  the  land. 
Then  Pharaoh  called  upon  Ptahmes  and  his  Magicians, 
and  bade  them  imitate  all  that  the  others  had  done. 
They  did  so,  and  by  their  arts  frogs  came  up  out  of  the 
land,  even  as  Moses  had  made  them  do.  Seeing  this, 
Pharaoh  laughed  the  Israelites  to  scorn  and  once  more 
refused  to  consider  their  request,  whereupon  plagues 
of  lice,  flies,  and  boils  broke  out  upon  man  and  beast, 


1Y6  PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN. 

with  mighty  storms,  and  a  great  darkness  in  which  no 
man  could  see  another's  face.  Once  more  Pharaoh, 
whose  heart  was  still  hardened  against  Moses,  called 
Ptahmes  to  his  presence  and  bade  him  advise  him  as  to' 
the  course  he  should  pursue.  Being  already  at  war 
with  his  neighbours,  he  had  no  desire  to  permit  this 
horde  to  cross  his  borders  only  to  side  with  his  enemies 
against  himself.  And  yet  to  keep  them  and  to  risk 
further  punishment  was  equally  dangerous.  Moses  was 
a  stern  man,  and  as  the  King  had  had  already  good 
reason  to  know,  was  not  one  to  be  trifled  with.  Only 
that  morning  he  had  demanded  an  audience  and  had 
threatened  Pharaoh  with  a  pestilence  that  should  cause 
the  death  of  every  first-born  son  throughout  the  land 
should  he  still  persist  in  his  refusal. 

"  Xow  Ptahmes,  who,  as  I  have  said,  was  an  astute 
man,  and  who  had  already  been  allowed  to  see  the  con 
sequences  of  giving  advice  that  did  not  tally  with  his 
master's  humour,  found  himself  in  a  position,  not  only 
of  difficulty,  but  also  of  some  danger.  Either  he  must 
declare  himself  openly  in  favour  of  letting  the  Hebrews 
go,  and  once  more  run  the  risk  of  Pharaoh's  anger  and 
possible  loss  of  favour,  or  he  must  side  with  his  master, 
and,  having  done  so,  put  forth  every  effort  to  prevent 
the  punishment  Moses  had  decreed.  After  hours  of 
suspense  and  overwhelming  anxiety  he  adopted  the 
latter  course.  Having  taken  counsel  with  his  fellow- 
Magicians,  he  assured  Pharaoh,  on  the  honour  of  the 
gods,  that  what  the  Israelite  had  predicted  could  never 
come  to  pass.  Fortified  with  this  promise,  Pharaoh 
once  more  refused  to  permit  the  strangers  to  leave  the 
land.  As  a  result  the  first-born  son  of  the  King,  the 
child  whom  he  loved  better  than  his  kingdom,  sickened 
of  a  mysterious  disease  and  died  that  night,  as  did  the 
first-born  of  all  the  Egyptians,  rich  and  poor  alike. 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  177 

In  the  words  of  your  own  Bible, '  There  was  a  great  cry 
in  Egypt;  for  there  was  not  a  house  where  there  was 
not  one  dead.'  Then  Pharaoh's  hatred  was  bitter 
against  his  advisers,  and  he  determined  that  Ptahmes 
in  particular  should  die.  He  sought  him  with  the  in 
tention  of  killing  him,  but  the  Magician  had  received 
timely  warning  and  had  escaped  into  the  mountains, 
where  he  hid  himself  for  many  months.  Little  by 
little  his  health  gave  way,  he  grew  weaker,  and  in  the 
fiftieth  year  of  his  life  Osiris  claimed  him  for  his  own. 
It  was  said  at  the  time  that  for  the  sin  he  had  caused 
Pharaoh  to  do,  and  the  misery  he  had  brought  upon 
the  land  of  Egypt,  and  swearing  falsely  in  the  name  of 
the  gods,  he  had  been  cursed  with  perpetual  life.  This, 
however,  could  not  have  been  so,  seeing  that  he  died  in 
the  mountains,  and  that  his  mummy  was  buried  in  the 
tomb  whence  your  father  took  it.  Such  is  the  story  of 
Ptahmes,  the  beloved  of  Ptah,  son  of  ISTetruhotep, 
Chief  of  the  Magicians  and  Prophet  of  the  North  and 
South." 


CHAPTEK  XII. 

STRANGE  as  it  may  seem,  all  the  circumstances  at 
tending  it  being  taken  into  consideration,  that  voyage 
up  the  Nile  was  one  of  the  most  enjoyable  I  have  ever 
undertaken.  It  is  true  the  weather  was  somewhat 
warmer  than  was  altogether  agreeable;  but  if  you  visit 
Egypt  at  midsummer  you  must  be  prepared  for  a  little 
discomfort  in  that  respect.  From  the  moment  of  rising 
until  it  was  time  to  retire  at  night  our  time  was  spent 
under  the  awning  on  deck,  reading,  conversing,  and 
watching  the  scenery  on  either  bank,  and  on  my  part 
in  putting  the  finishing  touches  to  the  picture  I  had 
commenced  the  afternoon  we  left  Cairo. 

When  it  was  completed  to  my  satisfaction,  which 
was  on  the  seventh  day  of  our  voyage,  and  that  upon 
which  we  expected  to  reach  Luxor,  I  showed  it  to  Pha 
ros.  He  examined  it  carefully,  and  it  was  some  time 
before  he  offered  an  opinion  upon  it. 

"  I  will  pay  you  the  compliment  of  saying  I  con 
sider  it  a  striking  example  of  your  art,"  he  said,  when 
he  did  speak.  "  At  the  same  time,  I  must  confess  it 
puzzles  me.  I  do  not  understand  whence  you  drew 
your  inspiration.  There  are  things  in  this  picture,  im 
portant  details  in  the  dress  and  architecture,  that  I 
feel  convinced  have  never  been  seen  by  this  century. 
How,  therefore,  you  could  have  known  them  passes  my 
comprehension." 
178 


PHAEOS,  THE   EGYPTIAN.  179 

"  I  have  already  told  you  that  that  picture  repre 
sents  what  I  saw  in  my  vision,"  I  answered. 

"  You  still  believe  that  you  saw  a  vision  then?  " 
he  asked,  with  a  return  to  his  old  sneering  habit,  as 
he  picked  the  monkey  up  and  began  to  stroke  his  ears. 

"  I  shall  always  do  so,"  I  answered.  "  Nothing  will 
ever  shake  my  belief  in  that." 

At  this  moment  the  Friiulein  Valerie  joined  us, 
whereupon  Pharos  handed  her  the  picture  and  asked 
for  her  opinion  upon  it.  She  examined  it  carefully, 
while  I  waited  with  some  anxiety  for  her  criticism. 

"  It  is  very  clever,"  she  said,  still  looking  at  it, 
"  and  beautifully  painted;  but,  if  you  will  let  me  say 
so,  I  do  not  know  that  I  altogether  like  it.  There  is 
something  about  it  that  I  do  not  understand.  And  see, 
vou  have  given  the  central  figure  Monsieur  Pharos's 
face." 

She  looked  up  at  me  as  if  to  inquire  the  reason  of 
this  likeness,  after  which  we  both  glanced  at  Pharos, 
who  was  seated  before  us,  wrapped  as  usual  in  his 
heavy  rug,  with  the  monkey,  Pehtes,  peering  out  from 
his  invariable  hiding-place  beneath  his  master's  coat. 
For  the  moment  I  did  not  know  what  answer  to  return. 
To  have  told  her  in  the  broad  light  of  day,  with  the 
prosaic  mud-banks  of  the  Nile  on  either  hand,  and  the 
Egyptian  sailors  washing  paint-work  at  the  farther  end 
of  the  deck,  that  in  my  vision  I  had  been  convinced 
that  Pharos  and  Ptahmes  were  one  and  the  same  per 
son,  would  have  been  too  absurd.  Pharos,  however, 
relieved  me  of  the  necessity  of  saying  anything  by  re 
plying  for  me. 

"  Mr.  Forrester  has  done  me  great  honour,  my 
dear,"  he  said  gaily,  "  in  choosing  my  features  for  the 
central  figure.  I  had  no  idea  that  my  unfortunate 
person  was  capable  of  such  dramatic  effect. — If  at  any 


180  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

time,  Forrester,  you  should  desire  to  dispose  of  that 
picture,  I  shall  be  delighted  to  take  it  off  your  hands." 

"  You  may  have  it  now,"  I  answered.  "  If  you 
think  it  worthy  of  your  acceptance,  I  will  gladly  give  it 
you.  To  tell  the  truth,  I  myself,  like  the  Fraulein 
here,  am  a  little  afraid  of  it,  though  why  I  should  be, 
seeing  that  it  is  my  own  work,  Heaven  only  knows." 

"  As  you  say,  Heaven  only  knows,"  returned  Pha 
ros  solemnly,  and  then  making  the  excuse  that  he 
would  put  the  picture  in  a  place  of  safety,  he  left  us 
and  went  to  his  cabin,  Pehtes  hopping  along  the  deck 
behind  him. 

For  some  time  after  he  had  left  us  the  Fraulein 
and  I  sat  silent.  The  afternoon  was  breathless,  and 
even  our  progress  through  the  water  raised  no  breeze. 
We  were  passing  the  town  of  Keneh  at  the  time,  a  mis 
erable  collection  of  buildings  of  the  usual  Nile  type, 
and  famous  only  as  being  a  rallying  place  for  Mecca 
pilgrims,  and  for  the  Kulal  and  Ballas  (water-bottles), 
which  bear  its  name. 

While  her  eyes  were  fixed  upon  it  I  was  permitted 
an  opportunity  of  studying  my  companion's  counte 
nance.  I  noted  the  proud  poise  of  her  head,  and  the 
luxuriance  of  the  hair  coiled  so  gracefully  above  it. 
She  was  a  queen  among  women,  as  I  had  so  often  told 
myself;  one  whom  any  man  might  be  proud  to  love, 
and  then  I  added,  as  another  thought  struck  me,  one 
for  whom  the  man  she  loved  might  willingly  lay  down 
his  life.  That  I  loved  her  with  a  sincerity  and  devo 
tion  greater  than  I  had  ever  felt  for  any  other  human 
being,  I  was  fully  aware  by  this  time.  If  the  truth 
must  be  told,  I  believe  I  had  loved  her  from  the  mo 
ment  I  first  saw  her  face.  But  was  it  possible  that  she 
could  love  me? 

"  I  have  noticed  that  you  are  very  thoughtful  to- 


PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN.  181 

day,  Fraulein,"  I  said,  as  the  steamer  dropped  the  town 
behind  her  and  continued  her  journey  up  stream  in  a 
somewhat  more  westerly  direction. 

"Have  I  not  good  reason  to  be?"  she  answered. 
"  You  must  remember  I  have  made  this  journey  be 
fore." 

"  But  why  should  that  produce  such  an  effect  upon 
you?  "  I  asked.  "  To  me  it  is  a  pleasure  that  has  not 
yet  begun  to  pall,  and  as  you  will,  I  am  sure,  admit, 
Pharos  has  proved  a  most  thoughtful  and  charming 
host." 

I  said  this  with  intention,  for  I  wanted  to  see  what 
reply  she  would  make. 

"  I  have  not  noticed  his  behaviour,"  she  answered 
wearily.  "It  is  always  the  same  to  me.  But  I  do 
know  this,  that  after  each  visit  to  the  place  for  which 
we  are  now  bound,  great  trouble  has  resulted  for  some 
one.  Heaven  grant  that  it  may  not  be  so  on  this  oc 
casion!  " 

"  I  do  not  see  what  trouble  can  result,"  I  said. 
"  Pharos  is  simply  going  to  replace  the  mummy  in  the 
tomb  from  which  it  was  taken,  and  after  that  I  pre 
sume  we  shall  return  to  Cairo,  and  probably  to  Eu 
rope." 

"And  then?" 

"  After  that- 

But  I  could  get  no  further.  The  knowledge  that 
in  all  likelihood  as  soon  as  we  reached  Europe  I  should 
have  to  bid  her  good-bye  and  return  to  London  was  too 
much  for  me,  and  for  this  reason  I  came  within  an  ace 
of  blurting  out  the  words  that  were  in  my  heart.  For 
tunately,  however,  I  was  able  to  summon  up  my  pres 
ence  of  mind  in  time  to  avert  such  a  catastrophe,  other 
wise  I  can  not  say  what  the  result  would  have  been. 
Had  I  revealed  my  love  to  her  and  asked  her  to  be  my 


182  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

wife,  and  she  had  refused  me,  our  position,  boxed  up 
together  as  we  were  on  board  the  steamer,  and  with  no 
immediate  prospect  of  release,  would  have  been  un 
comfortable  in  the  extreme.  So  I  crammed  the  words 
back  into  my  heart  and  waited  for  another  and  more 
favourable  opportunity. 

The  sun  was  sinking  behind  the  Arabian  hills,  in 
a  wealth  of  gold  and  crimson  colouring,  as  we  obtained 
our  first  glimpse  of  the  mighty  ruins  we  had  come  so 
far  to  see.  Out  of  a  dark  green  sea  of  palms  to  the 
left,  rose  the  giant  pylons  of  the  Temple  of  Ammon  at 
Karnak.  A  few  minutes  later  Luxor  itself  was  visible, 
and  within  a  quarter  of  an  hour  our  destination  was 
reached,  and  the  steamer  was  at  a  standstill. 

We  had  scarcely  come  to  an  anchor  before  the  ves 
sel  was  surrounded  by  small  boats,  the  occupants  of 
which  clambered  aboard,  despite  the  efforts  of  the  offi 
cers  and  crew  to  prevent  them.  As  usual  they  brought 
with  them  spurious  relics  of  every  possible  sort  and 
description,  not  one  of  which,  however,  our  party 
could  be  induced  to  buy.  The  Fraulein  Valerie  and 
I  were  still  protesting,  when  Pharos  emerged  from  his 
cabin  and  approached  us.  Never  shall  I  forget  the 
change  that  came  over  the  scene.  From  the  expres 
sions  upon  the  rascals'  faces  I  gathered  that  he  was 
well  known  to  them,  at  any  rate  within  five  seconds 
of  his  appearance  not  one  of  our  previous  persecutors 
remained  aboard  the  vessel. 

"  They  seem  to  know  you,"  I  said  to  Pharos,  with 
a  laugh,  as  the  last  of  the  gang  took  a  header  from  the 
rail  into  the  water. 

"  They  do,"  he  answered  grimly.  "  I  think  I  can 
safely  promise  you  that  after  this  not  a  man  in  Luxor 
will  willingly  set  foot  upon  this  vessel.  Would  you 
care  to  try  the  experiment  ?  " 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  183 

"  Very  much,"  I  said,  and  taking  an  Egyptian 
pound  piece  from  my  pocket  I  stepped  to  the  side  and 
invited  the  rabble  to  come  aboard  and  claim  it.  But 
the  respect  they  entertained  for  Pharos  was  evidently 
greater  than  their  love  of  gold;  at  any  rate  not  a  man 
seemed  inclined  to  venture. 

"  A  fair  test,"  said  Pharos.  "  You  may  rest  assured 
that  unless  you  throw  it  over  to  them  your  money  will 
remain  in  your  own  pocket.  But  see,  some  one  of  im 
portance  is  coming  off  to  us.  I  am  expecting  a  mes 
senger,  and  in  all  probability  it  is  he." 

A  somewhat  better  boat  than  those  clustered 
around  us  was  putting  off  from  the  bank,  and  seated 
in  her  was  an  Arab,  clad  in  white  burnouse  and  wear 
ing  a  black  turban  upon  his  head. 

"  Yes,  it  is  he,"  said  Pharos,  as  with  a  few  strokes 
of  their  oars  the  boatmen  brought  their  craft  along 
side. 

Before  I  could  inquire  who  the  person  might  be 
whom  he  was  expecting,  the  man  I  have  just  described 
had  reached  the  deck,  and,  after  looking  about  him, 
approached  the  spot  where  Pharos  was  standing.  Ac 
customed  as  I  was  to  the  deference  shown  by  the  Arabs 
toward  their  superiors,  I  was  far  from  expecting  the 
exhibition  of  servility  I  now  beheld.  So  overpowered 
was  the  new-comer  by  the  reverence  he  felt  for  Pharos 
that  he  could  scarcely  stand  upright. 

"  I  expected  thee,  Salem  Awad,"  said  Pharos,  in 
Arabic.  "  What  tidings  dost  thou  bring?  " 

"  I  come  to  tell  thee,"  the  man  replied,  "  that  he 
whom  thou  didst  order  to  be  here  has  heard  of  thy 
coming,  and  will  await  thee  at  the  place  of  which  thou 
hast  spoken." 

"  It  is  well,"  continued  Pharos.  "  Has  all  of 
which  I  wrote  to  thee  been  prepared?" 


184  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

"  All  has  been  prepared  and  awaits  thy  coming." 

"  Eeturn  then  and  tell  him  who  sent  thee  to  me 
that  I  will  be  with  him  before  he  sleeps  to-night." 

The  man  bowed  once  more  and  made  his  way  to 
his  boat,  in  which-  he  departed  for  the  bank. 

When  he  had  gone,  Pharos  turned  to  me. 

"  We  are  expected,"  he  said,  "  and,  as  you  heard 
him  say,  preparations  have  been  made  to  enable  us  to 
carry  out  the  work  we  have  come  to  do.  After  all  his 
journeying  Ptahmes  has  at  last  returned  to  the  city 
of  his  birth  and  death.  It  is  a  strange  thought,  is  it 
not?  Look  about  you,  Mr.  Forrester,  and  see  the 
mightiest  ruins  the  world  has  known.  Yonder  is  the 
Temple  of  Luxor,  away  to  the  north  you  can  see  the 
remains  of  the  Temple  of  Ammon  at  Karnak;  five 
thousand  years  ago  they  were  connected  by  a  mighty 
road.  Yonder  is  the  Necropolis  of  Thebes,  with  the 
tombs  that  once  contained  the  mortal  remains  of  the 
mighty  ones  of  Egypt.  Where  are  those  mighty  ones 
now?  Scattered  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth, 
stolen  from  their  resting-places  to  adorn  glass  cases  in 
European  and  American  museums,  and  to  be  sold  at 
auction  by  Jew  salesmen  at  so  much  per  head,  the 
prices  varying  according  to  their  dates  and  state  of 
preservation.  But  there,  time  is  too  short  to  talk  of 
such  indignity.  The  gods  will  avenge  it  in  their  own 
good  time.  Let  it  suffice  that  to-night  we  are  to  fulfil 
our  errand.  Am  I  right  in  presuming  that  you  desire 
to  accompany  me?  " 

"  I  should  be  sincerely  disappointed  if  I  could  not 
do  so,"  I  answered.  "  But  if  you  would  prefer  to  go 
alone  I  will  not  force  my  presence  upon  you." 

"  I  shall  only  be  too  glad  of  your  company,"  he  an 
swered.  "  Besides,  you  have  a  right  to  be  present, 
since  it  is  through  you  I  am  permitted  an  opportunity 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  185 

of  replacing  my  venerable  ancestor  in  his  tomb.  Per 
haps  you  will  be  good  enough  to  hold  yourself  in  readi 
ness  to  start  at  eleven  o'clock.  Owing  to  the  public 
ity  now  given  to  anything  that  happens  in  the  ruins  of 
this  ancient  city,  the  mere  fact  that  we  are  returning 
a  mummy  to  its  tomb,  of  the  existence  of  which  the 
world  has  no  knowledge,  would  be  sufficient  to  attract 
a  concourse  of  people  whose  presence  would  be  in  the 
highest  degree  objectionable  to  me." 

"  You  must  excuse  my  interrupting  you,"  I  said, 
thinking  I  had  caught  him  tripping,  "  but  you  have 
just  said  that  you  are  going  to  open  a  tomb  of  the  exist 
ence  of  which  the  world  has  no  knowledge.  Surely  my 
father  opened  it  many  years  ago,  otherwise  how  did  he 
become  possessed  of  the  mummy?  " 

"  Your  father  discovered  it,  it  is  true,  but  he  stum 
bled  upon  it  quite  by  chance,  and  it  was  reburied  with 
in  a  few  hours  of  his  extracting  the  mummy.  If  he 
were  alive  now  I  would  defy  him  to  find  the  place 
again." 

"  And  you  are  going  to  open  it  to-night?  " 

"  That  is  my  intention.  And  when  I  have  done  so 
it  will  once  more  be  carefully  hidden,  and  may  woe 
light  upon  the  head  of  the  man  who  shall  again  dis 
turb  it!  " 

I  do  not  know  whether  this  speech  was  intended  to 
have  any  special  significance,  but  as  he  said  it  he  looked 
hard  at  me,  and  never  since  I  have  known  him  had 
I  seen  a  more  diabolical  expression  upon  his  counte 
nance.  I  could  scarcely  have  believed  that  the  human 
face  was  capable  of  such  malignity.  He  recovered  him 
self  as  quickly,  however,  and  then  once  more  bidding 
me  prepare  for  the  excursion  of  the  evening,  took  him 
self  off  to  his  cabin  and  left  me  to  ponder  over  all  he 
had  said. 


186  PHAROS, -THE  EGYPTIAN. 

Eleven  o'clock  had  only  just  struck  that  night  when 
the  tall  Arab,  my  acquaintance  of  the  Pyramids,  came 
along  the  deck  in  search  of  me.  I  was  sitting  with  the 
Friiulein  Valerie  at  the  time,  but  as  soon  as  he  told 
me  that  Pharos  was  waiting  and  that  it  was  time  for 
us  to  start,  I  made  haste  to  rise.  On  hearing  our  errand 
my  companion  became  uneasy. 

"  I  do  not  like  it,"  she  said.  "  Why  could  he  not  do 
it  in  the  daytime?  This  going  off  under  cover  of  the 
night  savours  too  much  of  the  conspirator,  and  I  beg 
you  to  be  careful  of  what  you  do.  Have  you  a  re 
volver  ?  " 

I  answered  in  the  affirmative,  whereupon  she  ear 
nestly  advised  me  to  carry  it  with  me,  a  course  which  I 
resolved  to  adopt.  Then  bidding  her  good-bye  I  left 
her  and  went  to  my  cabin,  little  dreaming  that  upward 
of  a  week  would  elapse  before  I  should  see  her  again. 

\Yhen  I  joined  Pharos  on  deck  I  discovered  that  he 
had  made  no  difference  in  his  attire,  but  was  dressed 
just  as  I  had  always  seen  him,  even  to  the  extent  of  his 
heavy  coat  which  he  wore  despite  the  heat  of  the  night. 

"  If  you  are  ready,"  he  said,  "  let  us  lose  no  time  in 
starting."  Then  turning  to  the  tall  Arab,  he  bade  him 
call  the  boat  up,  and  as  soon  as  it  was  at  the  ladder 
we  descended  and  took  our  places  in  it.  A  few  strokes 
of  the  oars  brought  us  to  the  bank,  where  we  found 
two  camels  awaiting  us.  On  closer  inspection  I  dis 
covered  that  the  individual  in  charge  of  them  was 
none  other  than  the  man  who  had  boarded  the  steamer 
that  afternoon,  and  whom  I  have  particularized  as  hav 
ing  shown  such  obsequious  respect  to  Pharos. 

At  a  sign  from  the  latter,  one  of  the  camels  was 
brought  to  his  knees,  and  I  was  invited  to  take  my 
place  in  the  saddle.  I  had  never  in  my  life  ridden  one 
of  these  ungainlv  brutes,  and  it  was  necessarv  for  the 


PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN.  187 

driver  to  instruct  me  in  the  art.  Pharos,  however, 
seemed  quite  at  home,  and  as  soon  as  he  had  mounted, 
and  the  camels  had  scrambled  to  their  feet  once  more, 
we  set  off. 

If  my  drive  to  the  Pyramids,  a  week  before,  had 
been  a  singular  experience,  this  camel  ride  among  the 
ruins  of  ancient  Thebes  at  midnight  was  much  more 
so.  On  every  side  were  relics  of  that  long-departed  age 
when  the  city  had  been  the  centre  of  the  civilized 
world. 

After  the  heat  of  the  day  the  coolness  of  the  night 
was  most  refreshing.  Overhead  the  stars  shone  bril 
liantly,  while  from  the  desert  a  little  lonely  wind  came 
up  and  sighed  for  the  desolation  of  the  place.  Xothing 
could  have  been  in  better  keeping  with  the  impressive- 
ness  of  the  occasion.  One  thing,  however,  puzzled 
me,  for  so  far  I  had  seen  nothing  of  the  chief,  and  in 
deed  the  only  reason  of  the  expedition — namely,  the 
mummy  of  the  dead  Magician.  I  questioned  Pharos 
on  the  subject,  who  answered  briefly  that  it  had  been 
sent  on  ahead  to  await  our  coming  at  the  tomb,  and 
having  given  this  explanation  lapsed  into  silence. 

It  must  have  been  upward  of  half  an  hour  later 
when  the  tall  Arab,  who  had  all  the  way  walked  in 
front  of  the  camel  upon  which  Pharos  was  seated, 
stopped  and  held  up  his  hand.  The  animals  immedi 
ately  came  to  a  standstill.  Peering  into  the  darkness 
ahead,  I  found  that  we  were  standing  before  a  gigantic 
building  which  towered  into  the  starlight.  This  proved 
to  be  the  main  pylon  of  the  great  Temple  of  Ammon, 
the  most  stupendous  example  of  human  architecture 
ever  erected  on  the  surface  of  our  globe.  On  either 
side  of  the  open  space  upon  which  we  stood,  rows  of 
kriosphinxes  showed  where  a  noble  road  had  once  led 
from  the  temple  to  the  river. 


188  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

At  a  signal  from  Pharos  the  man  who  had  boarded 
the  steamer  that  afternoon  left  us  and  entered  the 
building,  leaving  us  outside. 

Fully  five  minutes  must  have  elapsed  before  he 
returned.  When  he  did  so  he  said  something  to  Pharos 
in  a  low  voice,  who  immediately  descended  from  his 
camel  and  signed  to  me  to  do  the  same.  Then  we,  in 
our  turn,  approached  the  gigantic  pylon,  at  the  en 
trance  of  which  we  were  met  by  a  man  carrying  a 
lighted  torch.  Viewed  by  this  dim  and  uncertain  light 
the  place  appeared  indescribably  mysterious.  Overhead 
the  walls  towered  up  and  up  until  I  lost  sight  of  them 
in  the  darkness.  Presently  we  entered  a  large  court — 
so  large  indeed  that  even  with  the  assistance  of  the 
guide's  torch  we  could  not  see  the  farther  end  of  it. 
Then  passing  through  a  doorway  formed  of  enormous 
blocks  of  stone,  the  architrave  of  which  could  scarcely 
have  been  less  than  a  hundred  feet  from  the  ground, 
we  found  ourselves  standing  in  yet  another  and  even 
greater  hall.  Here  we  paused,  while  Pharos  went  for 
ward  into  the  darkness  alone,  leaving  me  in  the  charge 
of  the  tall  Arab  and  the  man  who  carried  the  torch. 
Where  he  had  gone,  and  his  reason  for  thus  leaving 
me,  I  could  not  imagine,  and  my  common  sense  told 
me  it  would  only  be  waste  of  time  on  my  part  to  in 
quire.  Minutes  went  by  until  perhaps  half  an  hour 
had  elapsed,  and  still  he  did  not  return.  I  was  about  to 
make  some  remark  upon  this,  when  I  noticed  that  the 
man  holding  the  torch,  who  had  hitherto  been  leaning 
against  a  pillar,  suddenly  drew  himself  up  and  looked 
toward  another  side  of  the  great  hall.  I  followed  the 
direction  of  his  eyes  and  saw  an  old  man  approaching 
me.  He  was  clad  in  white  from  head  to  foot,  and  with 
a  long  white  beard  descending  to  within  a  few  inches 
of  his  waist.  He  signed  to  me  to  follow  him,  and  then 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  189 

turning,  led  me  across  the  hall  in  the  direction  he  had 
come.  I  followed  close  at  his  heels,  threaded  my  way 
among  the  mighty  pillars  carved  all  over  with  hiero 
glyphics.,  and  so  passed  into  yet  another  court.  Here 
it  was  all  black  darkness,  and  so  lonely  that  I  found  my 
spirits  sinking  lower  and  lower  with  every  step  I  took. 
Reaching  the  centre  of  my  court  my  guide  stopped  and 
Lade  me  pause.  I  did  so,  whereupon  he  also  departed, 
but  in  what  direction  he  went  I  could  not  tell. 

Had  it  been  possible,  I  think  at  this  stage  of  the 
proceedings  I  should  have  left  Pharos  to  his  own  de 
vices,  and  have  made  my  way  out  of  the  ruins  and  back 
to  the  steamer  without  waste  of  time.  Under  the  cir 
cumstances  I  have  narrated,  however,  I  had  no  option 
but  to  remain  where  I  was,  and  in  any  case  I  doubt 
whether  I  should  have  had  time  to  make  my  escape, 
for  the  old  man  presently  returned,  this  time  with  a 
torch,  and  once  more  bade  me  follow  him.  I  accord 
ingly  accompanied  him  across  the  court,  and  among 
more  pillars,  to  a  small  temple,  which  must  have  been 
situated  at  some  considerable  distance  from  the  pylon 
through  which  we  had  entered  the  ruins. 

Approaching  the  farther  corner  of  this  temple,  he 
stooped  and,  so  it  seemed  to  me,  touched  something 
with  his  hand.  At  any  rate,  I  distinctly  heard  the  jar 
of  iron  on  stone.  Then  a  large  block  of  masonry 
wheeled  round  on  its  own  length  and  disappeared  into 
the  earth,  revealing  a  cavity  possibly  four  feet  square 
at  our  feet.  As  soon  as  my  eyes  became  accustomed 
to  the  darkness  I  was  able  to  detect  a  flight  of  steps 
leading  down  into  a  dark  vault  below.  These  the  old 
man  descended,  and  feeling  certain  that  I  was  in 
tended  to  accompany  him,  I  followed  his  example. 
The  steps  were  longer  than  I  expected  them  to  be,  and 
were  possibly  some  fifty  in  number.  Reaching  the 
13 


190  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

bottom  I  found  myself  standing  in  a  subterranean  hall. 
The  roof  or  ceiling  was  supported  by  a  number  of  ele 
gantly  sculptured  papyrus-bud  columns,  while  the  walls 
were  covered  with  paintings,  every  one  of  which  was  in 
a  perfect  state  of  preservation.  For  what  purpose  the 
hall  had  been  used  in  bygone  days  I  could  not,  of 
course,  tell,  but  that  it  had  some  connection  with  the 
mysterious  rites  of  the  god  Ammon  was  shown,  not 
only  by  the  frescoes,  but  by  the  trouble  which  had 
been  taken  to  conceal  the  entrance  to  the  place. 

When  we  had  reached  the  centre  of  the  hall  the 
old  man  turned  and  addressed  me. 

"  Stranger,"  he  said  in  a  voice  as  deep  and  reso 
nant  as  the  tolling  of  a  bell,  "  by  reason  of  the  share 
that  has  been  allotted  thee  in  the  vengeance  of  the 
gods,  it  has  been  decreed  that  thou  shalt  penetrate  the 
mysteries  of  this  holy  place,  the  like  of  which  not  one 
of  thy  race  or  people  has  ever  yet  beheld.  Fear  not 
that  evil  will  befall  thee;  thou  art  in  the  hands  of  the 
Mighty  Ones  of  Egypt.  They  will  protect  thee.  Fol 
low  me." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

IN  describing  what  occurred  after  the  curious  ad 
monition  addressed  to  me  by  the  old  man  who  had 
conducted  me  to  the  subterranean  chamber  mentioned 
in  the  last  chapter,  I  am  oppressed  by  the  fear  that 
my  narrative  may  seem  too  extraordinary  to  carry  with 
it  any  semblance  of  reality.  The  whole  affair,  from 
the  moment  when  we  left  the  steamer  until  I  stood 
where  I  now  was,  had  been  so  mysterious,  so  unbe 
lievable,  I  might  almost  say,  that  I  had  passed  from 
stage  to  stage  of  bewilderment,  scarcely  conscious  of 
anything  but  what  was  occurring  at  the  moment.  In 
a  vague  fashion  I  wondered  how  it  was  that  these 
rooms  had  never  been  discovered  by  the  hundreds  of 
Egyptologists  who,  since  the  time  of  Napoleon,  had 
explored  the  temple.  That  it  had  not  been  so  brought 
to  light  I  felt  convinced,  otherwise  the  necessity  would 
scarcely  have  existed  for  such  secrecy  as  had  been 
shown  when  I  was  conducted  to  it.  Besides,  I  had 
studied  my  guide-books  carefully  on  our  voyage  up 
the  river,  and  was  quite  convinced  that  no  mention  of 
such  places  had  been  made  in  any  one  of  them. 

Having  finished  the  speech  with  which  I  closed 
the  preceding  chapter,  the  old  man  led  me  toward  a 
doorway  at  the  farther  end  of  the  room.  The  posts 
which  supported  it,  and  which  must  have  been  some 
thing  like  ten  feet  in  width,  were  covered  with  hiero- 

191 


192  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

glyphics,  as  were  the  neighbouring  walls.  On  either 
side  of  the  doorway  stood  two  enormous  kriosphinxes, 
similar  to  those  which  had  once  lined  the  avenue  be 
tween  the  Temples  of  Karnak  and  Luxor.  These  had 
the  bodies  of  lions  and  heads  of  rams,  and  were  as 
perfect  as  on  the  day  when  they  had  left  the  sculptor's 
hands,  who  knew  how  many  thousand  years  ago.  En 
tering  the  archway,  for  archway  I  should  prefer  to 
call  it  rather  than  door,  I  found  myself  standing  be 
tween  two  rows  of  life-sized  statues,  all  excelling  in 
workmanship,  and  in  the  most  perfect  state  of  preser 
vation.  Though  I  was  not  sufficiently  learned  in  Egyp 
tian  history  to  be  able  to  assign  names  to  them,  I  was 
nevertheless  quite  capable  of  appreciating  their  im 
mense  value,  and  could  well  imagine  the  find  they 
would  prove  to  any  Egyptologist  who,  in  days  to  come, 
might  discover  the  secret  of  the  stone  and  penetrate 
into  this  mysterious  place. 

From  what  I  remember,  and  speaking  at  a  guess, 
the  passage  could  scarcely  have  been  less  than  a  hun 
dred  feet  in  length  and  must  have  contained  at  least 
a  dozen  statues.  At  the  farther  end  it  opened  into  a 
smaller  chamber  or  catacomb,  in  the  walls  of  which 
were  a  number  of  niches,  each  one  containing  a  mum 
my.  The  place  was  intolerably  close  and  was  filled 
with  an  overpowering  odour  of  dried  herbs.  In  the 
centre,  and  side  by  side,  were  two  alabaster  slabs,  each 
about  seven  feet  long  by  three  in  width.  A  stone  pil 
lar  was  at  the  head  of  each,  but  for  what  purpose 
the  blocks  were  originally  intended  I  have  no  idea. 

At  a  signal  from  my  conductor  two  beings,  I  can 
not  call  them  men,  who  from  their  appearances  I 
should  have  judged  to  be  as  old  as  Pharos  himself, 
made  their  appearance,  bringing  with  them  certain 
vestments  and  a  number  of  curiously  shaped  bottles. 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  193 

The  robes,  which  were  of  some  white  material,  were 
embroidered  with  hieroglyphics.  These  they  placed 
about  my  shoulders,  and  when  they  had  done  so  the 
old  fellow  who  had  conducted  me  to  the  place  bade 
me  stretch  myself  upon  one  of  the  slabs  I  have  just 
mentioned. 

Under  other  circumstances  I  should  have  pro 
tested  most  vigorously,  but  I  was  in  such  a  position 
now  that  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  would  not 
only  be  useless  but  most  impolitic  on  my  part  to  put 
myself  in  opposition  against  him  thus  early  in  the  day. 
I  accordingly  did  as  I  was  ordered.  The  two  attend 
ants,  who  were  small,  thin,  and  wizened  almost  beyond 
belief,  immediately  began  to  anoint  my  face  and 
hands  with  some  sweet-smelling  essences  taken  from 
the  bottles  they  had  brought  with  them.  The  per 
fume  of  these  unguents  was  indescribably  soothing, 
and  gradually  I  found  myself  losing  the  feeling  of 
excitement  and  distrust  which  had  hitherto  possessed 
me.  The  cigarettes  Pharos  had  given  me  on  the  oc 
casion  that  I  had  dined  with  him  in  Naples  must  have 
contained  something  of  a  like  nature,  for  the  effect 
was  similar  in  more  than  one  essential.  I  refer  in  par 
ticular  to  the  sharpening  of  the  wits,  to  the  feeling 
of  peculiar  physical  enjoyment,  and  to  the  dulling  of 
every  sense  of  fear. 

It  was  just  as  well,  perhaps,  that  I  was  in  this 
frame  of  mind,  for  though  I  did  not  know  it,  I  was 
about  to  be  put  to  a  test  that  surpassed  in  severity 
anything  of  which  I  could  have  dreamed. 

Little  by  little  a  feeling  of  extreme  lassitude  was 
overtaking  me;  I  lost  all  care  for  my  safety,  and  my 
only  desire  was  to  be  allowed  to  continue  in  the  state 
of  exquisite  semiconsciousness  to  which  I  had  now 
been  reduced.  The  figures  of  the  men  who  continued 


194:  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

to  sprinkle  the  essences  upon  me,  and  of  the  old  man 
who  stood  at  my  feet,  his  arms  stretched  above  his 
head  as  if  he  were  invoking  the  blessing  of  the  gods 
upon  the  sacrifice  he  was  offering  to  them,  faded  far 
ther  and  farther  into  the  rose-coloured  mist  before  my 
eyes.  Howr  long  an  interval  elapsed  before  I  heard  the 
old  man's  voice  addressing  me  again  I  cannot  say.  It 
may  have  been  a  few  seconds,  it  may  have  been  hours; 
I  only  know  that  as  soon  as  I  heard  it  I  opened  my 
eyes  and  looked  about  me.  The  attendants  had  de 
parted  and  we  were  alone  together.  lie  was  still 
standing  before  me  gazing  intently  down  at  my  face. 

"  Eise,  son  of  an  alien  race,"  he  said,  "  rise  puri 
fied  for  the  time  of  thy  earthly  self,  and  fit  to  enter 
and  stand  in  the  presence  of  Ammon-Ea!  " 

In  response  to  his  command  I  rose  from  the  stone 
upon  which  I  had  been  lying.  Strangely  enough, 
however,  I  did  so  without  perceptible  exertion.  In 
my  new  state  my  body  was  as  light  as  air,  my  brain 
without  a  cloud,  while  the  senses  of  hearing,  of 
sight,  of  smell,  and  of  touch,  were  each  abnormally 
acute. 

Taking  me  by  the  hand,  the  old  man  led  me  from 
the  room  in  which  the  ceremony  of  anointing  had 
taken  place,  along  another  passage,  on  either  side  of 
which,  as  in  the  apartment  we  had  just  left,  were  a 
number  of  shelves  each  containing  a  mummy  case. 
Beaching  the  end  of  this  passage,  he  paused  and  ex 
tinguished  the  torch  lie  carried,  and  then,  still  lead 
ing  me  by  the  hand,  entered  another  hall  which  was  in 
total  darkness.  In  my  new  state,  however,  I  experi 
enced  no  sort  of  fear,  nor  was  I  conscious  of  feeling 
any  alarm  as  to  my  ultimate  safety. 

Having  brought  me  to  the  place  for  which  he  was 
making,  he  dropped  my  hand,  and  from  the  shuffling 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  195 

of  his  feet  upon  the  stone  pavement  I  knew  that  he 
was  moving  away  from  me. 

"  Wait  here  and  watch,"  he  said,  and  his  voice 
echoed  and  re-echoed  in  that  gloomy  place.  "  For  it 
was  ordained  from  the  first  that  this  night  thou 
shouldst  see  the  mysteries  of  the  gods.  Fear  not,  thou 
art  in  the  hands  of  the  watcher  of  the  world,  the  ever 
mighty  Harmachis,  who  sleepeth  not  day  or  night, 
nor  hath  rested  since  time  began." 

With  this  he  departed,  and  I  remained  standing 
where  he  had  put  me,  watching  and  waiting  for  what 
should  follow.  To  attempt  to  make  you  understand 
the  silence  that  prevailed  would  be  a  waste  of  time, 
nor  can  I  tell  you  how  long  it  lasted.  Under  the  in 
fluence  of  the  mysterious  preparation  to  which  I  had 
been  subjected,  such  things  as  time,  fear  and  curiosity 
had  been  eliminated  from  my  being. 

Suddenly,  in  the  far  distance,  so  small  as  to  make 
it  uncertain  whether  it  was  only  my  fancy  or  not,  a 
pin  point  of  light  attracted  my  attention.  It  moved 
slowly  to  and  fro  with  the  regular  and  evenly-balanced 
swing  of  a  pendulum,  and  as  it  did  so  it  grew  larger 
and  more  brilliant.  Such  was  the  fascination  it  pos 
sessed  for  me  that  I  could  not  take  my  eyes  off  it, 
and  as  I  watched  it  everything  grew  bright  as  noon 
day.  How  I  had  been  moved  I  know  not,  but  to 
my  amazement  I  discovered  that  I  was  no  longer 
in  that  subterranean  room  below  the  temple,  but  was 
in  the  open  air  in  broad  daylight,  and  standing  on  the 
same  spot  before  the  main  pylon  where  Pharos  and  I 
had  waited  while  the  man  who  had  conducted  us  to 
the  temple  went  off  to  give  notice  of  our  arrival. 
There  was,  however,  this  difference,  the  temple,  which 
I  had  seen  then  was  nothing  more  than  a  mass  of 
ruins,  now  it  was  restored  to  its  pristine  grandeur, 


195  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

and  exceeded  in  beauty  anything  I  could  have  imag 
ined.  High  into  the  cloudless  sky  above  me  rose  the 
mighty  pylons,  the  walls  of  which  were  no  longer 
bare  and  weather  worn,  but  adorned  with  brilliant 
coloured  paintings.  Before  me,  not  covered  with  sand 
as  at  present,  but  carefully  tended  and  arranged  with 
a  view  to  enhancing  the  already  superb  effect,  was 
a  broad  and  well-planned  terrace  from  which  led  a 
road  lined  on  either  side  with  the  same  stately  krio- 
sphinxes  that  to-day  lie  headless  and  neglected  on 
the  sands.  From  this  terrace  the  waters  of  the  Xile 
could  be  distinctly  seen,  with  the  steps,  at  which 
the  avenue  I  have  just  described  terminated,  lead 
ing  down  to  them.  Away  to  the  southwest  rose  the 
smaller  Temple  of  Khunsi,  and  from  it  the  avenue 
of  sphinxes  which  connected  it  with  the  Temple  of 
Ammon  two  miles  away  at  Luxor.  From  the  crowds 
that  congregated  round  these  mighty  edifices,  and 
from  the  excitement  which  prevailed  on  every  hand, 
it  was  plain  that  some  great  festival  was  about  to 
be  celebrated.  While  I  watched  the  commencement 
of  the  procession  made  its  appearance  on  the  farther 
side  of  the  river,  where  state  barges  ornamented  with 
much  gold  and  many  brilliant  colours  were  waiting 
to  carry  it  across.  On  reaching  the  steps  it  contin 
ued  its  march  toward  the  temple.  It  was  preceded 
by  a  hundred  dancing  girls  clad  in  white,  and  carry 
ing  timbrels  in  their  hands.  Behind  them  was  a  priest 
bearing  the  two  books  of  Hermes,  one  containing 
hymns  in  honour  of  the  gods,  and  the  other  precepts 
relating  to  the  life  of  the  King.  Next  came  the 
Royal  Astrologer  bearing  the  measure  of  Time,  the 
hour-glass  and  the  Phoenix.  Then  the  King's  Scribe, 
carrying  the  materials  of  his  craft.  Following  him 
were  more  women  playing  on  single  and  double  pipes, 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  197 

harps,  and  flutes,  and  after  the  musicians  the  Stol- 
istes,  with  the  sign  of  Justice  and  the  cup  of  Liba 
tion.  Next  walked  twelve  servants  of  the  temple, 
headed  by  the  Chief  Priest,  clad  in  his  robes  of  leopard 
skins,  after  whom  marched  a  troop  of  soldiers  with 
the  sun  glittering  on  their  armour  and  accoutrements. 
Behind,  the  runners  were  carrying  white  staves  in 
their  hand,  and  after  them  fifty  singing  girls,  strew 
ing  flowers  of  all  colours  upon  the  path.  Then,  es 
corted  by  his  bodyguard,  the  Royal  Arms  bearers, 
and  seated  upon  his  throne  of  state,  which  again  was 
borne  upon  the  shoulders  of  the  chief  eight  nobles 
of  the  land,  and  had  above  it  a  magnificent  canopy, 
was  Pharaoh  himself,  dressed  in  his  robes  of  state 
and  carrying  his  sceptre  and  the  flagellum  of  Osiris 
in  either  hand.  Behind  him  were  his  fan  bearers, 
and  by  his  side  a  man  whom,  in  spite  of  his  rich  dress, 
I  recognised  as  soon  as  my  eyes  fell  upon  him.  He 
was  none  other  than  the  servant  whom  Pharaoh  de 
lighted  to  honour,  his  favourite,  Ptahmes,  son  of 
Netruhotep,  Chief  of  the  Magicians,  and  Lord  of  the 
North  and  South.  Deformed  as  he  was,  he  walked 
with  a  proud  step,  carrying  himself  like  one  who 
knows  that  his  position  is  assured.  Following  Pha- 
roah  were  his  favourite  generals,  then  another  detach 
ment  of  soldiers,  still  more  priests,  musicians,  and 
dancing  girls,  and  last  of  all  a  choir  robed  in  white, 
and  numbering  several  hundred  voices.  If  you  can 
picture  the  blue  sky  overhead,  the  sunshine,  the 
mighty  pylons  and  temples,  the  palm  trees,  the  glit 
tering  procession,  the  gorgeous  uniforms,  the  avenues 
of  kriosphinxes,  and  the  waters  of  the  Nile  showing 
in  the  background,  you  will  have  some  notion  of  the 
scene  I  have  attempted  to  portray. 

Reaching  the  main  pylon  of  the  temple,  the  danc- 


198  PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN. 

ing  girls,  musicians  and  soldiers  drew  back  on  either 
side,  and  Pharaoh,  still  borne  upon  the  shoulders  of 
his  courtiers,  and  accompanied  by  his  favourite  ma 
gician,  entered  the  sacred  building  and  was  lost  to 
view. 

He  had  no  sooner  disappeared  than  the  whole 
scene  vanished,  and  once  more  I  found  myself  stand 
ing  in  the  darkness.  It  was  only  for  a  few  moments, 
however.  Then  the  globule  of  light  which  had  first 
attracted  my  attention  reappeared.  Again  it  swung 
before  my  eyes  and  again  I  suddenly  found  myself 
in  the  open  air.  Now,  however,  it  was  nighttime. 
As  on  the  previous  occasion,  I  stood  before  the  main 
pylon  of  the  temple.  This  time,  however,  there  was 
no  crowd,  no  brilliant  procession,  no  joyous  music. 
Heavy  clouds  covered  the  sky,  and  at  intervals  the 
sound  of  sullen  thunder  came  across  the  sands  from 
the  west.  A  cold  wind  sighed  round  the  corners  of 
the  temple  and  added  to  the  prevailing  dreariness. 
It  was  close  upon  midnight,  and  I  could  not  help 
feeling  that  something  terrible  was  about  to  happen. 
Nor  was  I  disappointed.  Even  as  I  waited  a  small 
procession  crossed  the  Nile  and  made  its  way,  just  as 
the  other  had  done,  up  the  avenue  of  kriosphinxes. 
Unlike  the  first,  however,  this  consisted  of  but  four 
men,  or  to  be  exact,  of  five,  since  one  was  being  car 
ried  on  a  bier.  Making  no  more  noise  than  was  neces 
sary,  they  conveyed  their  burden  up  the  same  well- 
kept  roadway  and  approached  the  temple.  From 
where  I  stood  I  was  able  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the 
dead  man,  for  dead  he  certainly  was.  To  my  sur 
prise  he  was  none  other  than  Ptahmes.  Not,  how 
ever,  the  Ptahmes  of  the  last  vision.  Now  he  was 
old  and  poorly  clad,  and  a  very  different  creature 
from  the  man  who  had  walked  so  confidently  beside 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  199 

Pharoah's  litter  on  the  occasion  of  the  last  proces 
sion. 

Knowing  as  I  did  the  history  of  his  downfall,  I 
was  easily  able  to  put  two  and  two  together  and  to 
ascribe  a  reason  for  what  I  saw.  He  had  been  in 
hiding  to  escape  the  wrath  of  Pharaoh,  and  now  he 
was  dead,  and  his  friends  among  the  priests  of  Am- 
mon  were  bringing  him  by  stealth  to  the  temple  to 
prepare  his  body  for  the  tomb.  Once  more  the  scene 
vanished  and  I  stood  in  darkness.  Then,  as  before, 
the  light  reappeared,  and  with  it  still  another  pic 
ture. 

On  this  occasion  also  it  was  night,  and  we  were 
in  the  desert.  The  same  small  party  I  had  seen  car 
rying  the  dead  man  before  was  now  making  its  way 
toward  a  range  of  hills.  High  up  on  a  rocky  spur  a 
tomb  had  been  prepared,  and  to  it  the  body  of  the 
man,  once  so  powerful  and  now  fallen  so  low,  was 
being  conveyed.  Unseen  by  the  bearers,  I  followed 
and  entered  the  chamber  of  death.  In  front  was  the 
Chief  Priest,  a  venerable  man,  but  to  my  surprise 
without  his  leopard  skin  dress.  The  mummy  was 
placed  in  position  without  ceremony  of  any  kind. 
Even  the  most  simple  funerary  rites  were  omitted. 
No  sorrowing  relatives  made  an  oblation  before  it, 
no  scroll  of  his  life  was  read.  Cut  off  from  the  world, 
buried  by  stealth,  he  was  left  to  take  the  long  rest 
in  an  unhallowed  tomb  from  which  my  own  father, 
three  thousand  years  later,  was  destined  to  remove 
his  body.  Then,  like  the  others,  this  scene  also  van 
ished,  and  once  more  I  found  myself  standing  in  the 
dark  hall. 

"  Thou  hast  seen  the  splendour  and  the  degrada 
tion  of  the  man  Ptahmes,"  said  the  deep  voice  of  the 
old  man  who  had  warned  me  not  to  be  afraid.  "  How 


200  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

he  rose  and  how  he  fell.  Thou  hast  seen  how  the 
mortal  body  of  him  who  was  once  so  mighty  that  he 
stood  before  Pharaoh  unafraid,  was  buried  by  night, 
having  been  forbidden  to  cross  the  sacred  Lake  of 
the  Dead.  For  more  than  three  thousand  years,  by 
thy  calculation,  that  body  has  rested  in  an  unconse- 
crated  tomb,  it  has  been  carried  to  a  far  country,  and 
throughout  that  time  his  soul  has  known  no  peace. 
But  the  gods  are  not  vengeful  for  ever,  and  it  is 
decreed  that  by  thy  hand,  inasmuch  as  thou  art 
not  of  his  country  or  of  his  blood,  he  shall  find 
rest  at  last.  Follow  me,  for  there,  is  much  for  thee 
to  see." 

Leading  the  way  across  the  large  hall,  he  con 
ducted  me  down  another  flight  of  steps  into  yet  an 
other  hall,  larger  than  any  I  had  yet  seen,  the  walls 
of  which  were  covered  with  frescoes,  in  every  case 
having  some  connection  with  the  services  rendered 
to  the  dead.  On  a  stone  slab  in  the  centre  of  this  great 
place  was  the  mummy  case  which  had  for  so  many 
years  stood  in  the  alcove  of  my  studio,  and  which 
was  undoubtedly  the  cause  of  my  being  where  I  now 
was.  I  looked  again  and  could  scarcely  believe  my 
eyes,  for  there,  seated  at  its  head,  gazing  from  the 
old  man  to  myself,  was  the  monkey  Pehtes,  with  an 
expression  of  terror  upon  his  wizened  little  face. 

I  must  leave  you  to  imagine  what  sort  of  effect 
the  solemnity  of  this  great  hall,  the  solitary  mummy 
case  lying  in  the  centre,  and  the  frightened  little 
monkey  seated  at  its  head  had  upon  me. 

At  a  signal  from  my  companion  the  men  who 
had  anointed  me  on  my  arrival  in  this  ghostly  place 
made  their  appearance,  but  whence  I  could  not  dis 
cover.  Lifting  the  lid  of  the  case,  despite  the  mon 
key's  almost  human  protests,  they  withdrew  the  body, 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  201 

swaddled  up  as  it  was,  and  laid  it  upon  the  table. 
One  by  one  the  cloths  were  removed  until  the  naked 
flesh  (if  flesh  it  could  be  called)  lay  exposed  to  view. 
To  the  best  of  my  belief  it  had  never  seen  the  light, 
certainly  not  in  my  time,  since  the  day,  so  mnay  thou 
sand  years  before,  when  it  had  been  prepared  for  the 
tomb.  The  effect  it  had  upon  me  was  almost  over 
whelming.  My  guide,  however,  permitted  no  sign 
of  emotion  to  escape  him.  When  everything  had  been 
removed  the  men  who  had  done  the  work  withdrew 
as  silently  as  they  had  come,  and  we  three  were  left 
alone  together. 

"  Draw  near,"  said  the  old  man  solemnly,  "  and 
if  thou  wouldst  lose  conceit  in  thy  strength,  and 
learn  how  feeble  a  thing  is  man,  gaze  upon  the  form 
of  him  who  lies  before  you.  Here  on  this  stone  is  all 
that  is  left  of  Ptahmes,  the  son  of  Netruhotep,  Ma 
gician  to  Pharaoh,  and  chief  of  the  Prophets  of  the 
North  and  South." 

I  drew  near  and  looked  upon  the  mummified  re 
mains.  Dried  up  and  brown  as  they  were,  the  face 
was  still  distinctly  recognisable,  and  as  I  gazed  I  sprang 
back  with  a  cry  of  horror  and  astonishment.  Believe 
it  or  not  as  you  please,  but  what  I  saw  there  was  none 
other  than  the  face  of  Pharos.  The  likeness  was  un 
mistakable.  There  could  be  no  sort  of  doubt  about 
it.  I  brushed  my  hand  across  my  eyes  to  find  out 
if  I  were  dreaming.  But  no,  when  I  looked  again 
the  body  was  still  there.  And  yet  it  seemed  so  utterly 
impossible,  so  unheard  of,  that  the  man  stretched 
out  before  me  could  be  he  whom  I  had  first  seen  at 
the  foot  of  Cleopatra's  Needle,  at  the  Academy,  in 
Lady  Medenham's  drawing-room,  and  with  whom  I 
had  dined  at  Naples  after  our  interview  at  Pompeii. 
And  as  I  looked,  as  if  any  further  proof  were  want- 


202  PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN. 

ing,  the  monkey,  with  a  little  cry,  sprang  upon  the 
dead  man  and  snuggled  himself  down  beside  -him. 

Approaching  the  foot  of  the  slab,  the  old  man 
addressed  the  recumbent  figure. 

"  Open  thine  eyes,  Ptahmes,  son  of  Netruhotep," 
he  said,  "  and  listen  to  the  words  that  I  shall  speak 
to  thee.  In  the  day  of  thy  power,  when  yet  thou 
didst  walk  upon  the  earth,  thou  didst  sin  against  Ea 
and  against  the  mighty  ones,  the  thirty-seven  gods. 
Know  now  that  it  is  given  thee  for  thy  salvation 
to  do  the  work  which  has  been  decreed  against  the 
peoples  upon  whom  their  wrath  has  fallen.  Be  strong, 
0  Ptahmes!  for  the  means  are  given  thee,  and  if 
thou  dost  obey  thou  shalt  rest  in  peace.  Wanderer 
of  the  centuries,  who  cometh  out  of  the  dusk,  and 
whose  birth  is  from  the  house  of  death,  thou  wast 
old  and  art  born  again.  Through  all  the  time  that 
has  been  thou  hast  waited  for  this  day.  In  the  name, 
therefore,  of  the  great  gods  Osiris  and  Nephthys,  I 
bid  thee  rise  from  thy  long  rest  and  go  out  into  the 
world,  but  be  it  ever  remembered  by  thee  that  if  thou 
usest  this  power  to  thy  own  advantage  or  failest  even 
by  as  much  as  one  single  particular  in  the  trust  re 
posed  in  thee,  then  thou  art  lost,  not  for  to-day,  not 
for  to-morrow,  but  for  all  time.  In  the  tomb  from 
whence  it  was  stolen  thy  body  shall  remain  until  the 
work  which  is  appinted  thee  is  done.  Then  shalt 
thou  return  and  be  at  peace  for  ever.  Eise,  Ptahmes, 
rise  and  depart!  " 

As  he  said  this  the  monkey  sprang  up  from  the 
dead  man's  side  with  a  little  cry  and  beat  wildly  in 
the  air  with  his  hands.  Then  it  was  as  if  something 
snapped,  my  body  became  deadly  cold,  and  with  a  great 
shiver  I  awoke  (if,  as  I  can  scarcely  believe,  I  had  been 
sleeping  before)  to  find  myself  sitting  on  the  same 


PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN.  203 

block  of  stone  in  the  great  Hypostile  Hall  where  Pha 
ros  had  left  me  many  hours  before.  The  first  pale  light 
of  dawn  could  be  seen  through  the  broken  columns 
to  the  east.  The  air  was  bitterly  cold,  and  my  body 
ached  all  over  as  if,  which  was  very  likely,  I  had 
caught  a  chill.  Only  a  few  paces  distant,  seated  on 
the  ground,  their  faces  hidden  in  their  folded  arms, 
were  the  two  Arabs  who  had  accompanied  us  from 
Luxor.  I  rose  to  my  feet  and  stamped  upon  the 
ground  in  the  hope  of  imparting  a  little  warmth  to 
my  stiffened  limbs.  Could  I  have  fallen  asleep  while 
I  waited  for  Pharos,  and  if  so,  had  I  dreamed  all  the 
strange  things  that  I  have  described  in  this  chapter? 
I  discarded  the  notion  as  impossible,  and  yet  what 
other  explanation  had  I  to  offer?  I  thought  of  the 
secret  passage  beneath  the  stone,  and  which  led  to 
the  vaults  below.  Remembering  as  I  did  the  direc 
tion  in  which  the  old  man  had  proceeded  in  order  to 
reach  it,  I  determined  to  search  for  it.  If  only  I 
could  find  the  place  I  should  be  able  to  set  all  doubt 
on  the  subject  at  rest  for  good  and  all.  I  accord 
ing  crossed  the  great  hall,  which  was  now  as  light 
as  day,  and  searched  the  place  which  I  considered 
most  likely  to  contain  the  stone  in  question.  But 
though  I  gave  it  the  most  minute  scrutiny  for  up 
wards  of  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  no  sign  could  I  dis 
cover.  All  the  time  I  was  becoming  more  and  more 
convinced  of  one  thing,  and  that  was  the  fact  that 
1  was  unmistakably  ill.  My  head  and  bones  ached, 
while  my  left  arm,  which  had  never  yet  lost  the  small 
purple  mark  which  I  had  noticed  the  morning  after 
my  adventure  at  the  Pyramids,  seemed  to  be  swell 
ing  perceptibly  and  throbbed  from  shoulder  to  wrist. 
Unable  to  find  the  stone,  and  still  more  unable  to 
make  head  or  tail  of  all  that  had  happened  in  the 


204  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

night,  I  returned  to  my  former  seat.  One  of  the 
Arabs,  the  man  who  had  boarded  the  steamer  on  our 
arrival  the  previous  afternoon,  rose  to  his  feet  and 
looked  about  him,  yawning  heavily  as  he  did  so.  He, 
at  least,  I  thought,  would  be  able  to  tell  me  if  I  had 
slept  all  night  in  the  same  place.  1  put  the  question 
to  him,  only  to  receive  his  solemn  assurance  that  I 
had  not  left  their  side  ever  since  I  had  entered  the 
ruins.  The  man's  demeanour  was  so  sincere,  that  I 
had  no  reason  to  suppose  that  he  was  not  telling  the 
truth.  I  accordingly  seated  myself  again  and  de 
voutly  wished  I  were  back  with  Valerie  on  board 'the 
steamer. 

A  nice  trick  Pharos  had  played  me  in  bringing 
me  out  to  spend  the  night  catching  cold  in  these 
ruins.  I  resolved  to  let  him  know  my  opinion  of  his 
conduct  at  the  earliest  opportunity.  But  if  I  had 
gone  to  sleep  on  the  stone,  where  had  he  been  all 
night,  and  why  had  he  not  permitted  me  to  assist 
in  the  burial  of  Ptahmcs  according  to  agreement? 
What  was  more  important  still,  when  did  lie  intend 
putting  in  an  appearance  again?  I  had  half  made 
up  my  mind  to  set  off  for  Luxor  on  my  own  account, 
in  the  hope  of  being  able  to  discover  an  English  doc 
tor,  from  whom  I  could  obtain  some  medicine  and 
find  out  the  nature  of  the  ailment  from  which  I  was 
suffering.  I  was,  however,  spared  the  trouble  of 
doing  this,  for  just  as  my  patience  was  becoming 
exhausted  a  noise  behind  me  made  me  turn  round, 
and  I  saw  Pharos  coming  toward  me.  It  struck  me 
that  his  step  was  more  active  than  I  had  yet  seen  it, 
and  I  noticed  the  pathetic  little  face  of  the  monkey, 
Pehtes,  peeping  out  from  the  shelter  of  his  heavy 
coat. 

"  Come,"  he  said  briskly,  "  let  us  be  going.     You 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  205 

look  cold,  my  dear  Forrester,  and  if  I  am  not  mis 
taken,  you  are  not  feeling  very  well.  Give  me  your 
hand."  ' 

I  did  as  he  ordered  me.  If,  however,  my  hand 
was  cold,  his  was  like  ice. 

"  I  thought  as  much,"  he  said;  "  you  are  suffer 
ing  from  a  mild  attack  of  Egyptian  fever.  Fortu 
nately,  however,  that  can  soon  be  set  right." 

I  followed  him  through  the  main  pylon  to  the 
place  where  we  had  dismounted  from  our  camels  the 
night  before.  The  patient  beasts  were  still  there 
just  as  we  had  left  them. 

"  Mount,"  said  Pharos,  "  and  let  us  return  with 
all  speed  to  the  steamer." 

I  did  as  he  desired,  and  we  accordingly  set  off. 
I  noticed,  however,  that  on  the  return  journey  we 
did  not  follow  the  same  route  as  that  which  had 
brought  us  to  the  temple.  By  this  time,  however,  I 
was  feeling  too  ill  to  protest  or  to  care  very  much 
where  we  went. 

"  We  are  nearly  there,"  said  Pharos.  "  Keep  up 
your  heart.  In  less  than  ten  minutes  you  will  be 
in  bed  and  on  the  high  road  to  recovery." 

"  But  this  is  not  the  way  to  Luxor,"  I  said  feebly, 
clinging  to  the  pommel  of  my  saddle  as  I  spoke  and 
looking  with  aching  eyes  across  the  dreary  stretch 
of  sand. 

"  We  are  not  going  to  Luxor,"  Pharos  replied. 
"  I  am  taking  you  to  a  place  where  I  can  look  after 
you  myself,  and  where  there  will  be  no  chance  of 
any  meddlesome  European  doctors  interfering  with 
my  course  of  treatment." 

The  ten  minutes  he  had  predicted  seemed  like 
centuries,  and,  had  I  been  asked,  I  should  have  de 
clared  that  at  least  two  hours  elapsed  between  our 
14 


206  PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN. 

leaving  the  Temple  of  Ammon  and  our  arrival  at 
our  destination.  During  that  time  my  agon}7  was 
well  nigh  unbearable.  My  throat  was  swelling  and 
I  felt  as  if  I  were  suffocating.  My  limbs  quivered 
as  though  they  had  been  stricken  with  the  palsy,  and 
the  entire  landscape  was  blotted  out  by  a  red  mist 
as  thick  as  blood. 

More  dead  than  alive,  I  accommodated  myself  to 
the  shuffling  tread  of  the  camel  as  best  I  could,  and 
when  at  last  I  heard  Pharos  say  in  Arabic,  "  It  is 
here;  bid  the  beast  lie  down,"  my  last  ounce  of 
strength  departed  and  I  lost  consciousness. 

How  long  I  remained  in  this  state  I  had  no  idea 
at  the  time,  but  when  I  recovered  my  senses  again 
I  found  myself  lying  in  an  Arab  tent,  upon  a  rough 
bed  made  up  upon  the  sand.  I  was  as  weak  as  a  kit 
ten,  and  when  I  looked  at  my  hand  as  it  lay  upon  the 
rough  blanket  I  scarcely  recognised  it,  so  white  and 
emaciated  was  it.  Not  being  able  to  understand  the 
reason  of  my  present  location,  I  raised  myself  on  my 
elbow  and  looked  out  under  the  flap  of  the  tent.  All 
I  could  see  there,  however,  was  desert  sand,  a  half- 
starved  dog  prowling  about  in  the  foreground  in 
search  of  something  to  eat,  and  a  group  of  palm  trees 
upon  the  far  horizon.  While  I  was  thus  investigating 
my  surroundings  the  same  Arab  who  had  assured  me 
that  I  had  slept  all  night  on  the  block  of  stone  in 
the  temple  made  his  appearance  with  a  bowl  of  broth 
which  he  gave  to  me,  putting  his  arm  round  me  and 
assisting  me  to  sit  up  while  I  drank  it.  I  questioned 
him  as  to  where  I  was  and  how  long  I  had  been  there, 
but  he  only  shook  his  head,  sa}ring  that  he  could  tell 
me  nothing.  The  broth,  however,  did  me  good,  more 
good  than  any  information  could  have  done,  and  after 
he  had  left  me  I  laid  mvself  down  and  in  a  few  mo- 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  207 

ments  was  asleep  again.  When  I  woke  it  was  late  in 
the  afternoon  and  the  sun  was  sinking  behind  the 
palm  trees  to  which  I  referred  just  now.  As  it  dis 
appeared  Pharos  entered  the  tent  and  expressed  his 
delight  at  finding  me  conscious  once  more.  I  put 
the  same  questions  to  him  that  I  had  asked  the  Arab, 
and  found  that  he  was  inclined  to  be  somewhat  more 
communicative. 

"  You  have  now  been  ill  three  days,"  he  said,  "  so 
ill,  indeed,  that  I  dared  not  move  you.  Xow,  how 
ever,  that  you  have  got  your  senses  back,  you  will 
make  rapid  progress.  I  can  assure  you  I  shall  not  be 
sorry,  for  events  have  occurred  which  necessitate  my 
immediate  return  to  Europe.  You  on  your  part,  I 
presume,  will  not  regret  saying  farewell  to  Egypt?" 

"  I  would  leave  to-day,  if  such  a  thing  were  pos 
sible,"  I  answered.  "  Weak  as  I  am  I  think  I  could 
find  strength  enough  for  that.  Indeed,  I  feel  stronger 
already,  and  as  a  proof  of  it  my  appetite  is  return 
ing.  Where  is  the  Arab  who  brought  me  my  broth 
this  morning?  " 

"  Dead,"  said  Pharos  laconically.  "  He  held  you 
in  his  arms  and  died  two  hours  afterward.  They've 
no  stamina,  these  Arabs,  the  least  thing  kills  them. 
But  you  need  have  no  fear.  You  have  passed  the 
critical  point  and  your  recovery  is  certain." 

But  I  scarcely  heard  him.  "  Dead!  dead !  "  I  was 
saying  over  and  over  again  to  myself  as  if  I  did  not 
understand  it.  "Surely  the  man  cannot  be  dead?" 
He  had  died  through  helping  me.  What  then  was 
this  terrible  disease  of  which  I  had  been  the  victim? 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

IN  travelling  either  with  Pharos  or  in  search  of 
him  it  was  necessary  to  accustom  oneself  to  rapid 
movement.  I  was  in  London  on  June  7th,  and  had 
found  him  in  Naples  three  days  later;  had  reached 
Cairo  in  his  company  on  the  18th  of  the  same  month, 
and  was  four  hundred  and  fifty  miles  up  the  Xile  by 
the  27th.  I  had  explored  the  mysteries  of  the  great 
Temple  of  Ammon  as  no  other  Englishman,  I  feel 
convinced,  had  ever  done;  had  been  taken  seriously 
ill,  recovered,  returned  to  Cairo,  travelled  thence  to 
rejoin  the  yacht  at  Port  Said;  had  crossed  in  her  to 
Constantinople,  journeyed  by  the  Orient  Express  to 
Vienna,  and  on  the  morning  of  July  loth  stood  at 
the  entrance  to  the  Teyn  Kirche  in  the  wonderful 
old  Bohemian  city  of  Prague. 

From  this  itinerary  it  will  "be  seen  that  the  grass 
was  not  allowed  to  grow  under  our  feet.  Indeed, 
we  had  scarcely  arrived  in  any  one  place  before  our 
remorseless  leader  hurried  us  away  again.  His  anx 
iety  to  return  to  Europe  was  as  great  as  it  had  been 
to  reach  Egypt.  On  land  the  trains  could  not  travel 
fast  enough;  on  board  the  yacht  his  one  cry  was, 
"Push  on,  push  on!"  What  this  meant  to  a  man 
like  myself,  who  had  lately  come  so  perilously  near 
death,  I  must  leave  you  to  imagine.  Indeed,  looking 
back  upon  it  now,  I  -wonder  that  I  emerged  from  it 
208 


PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN.  209 

alive.  Looked  at  from  another  light,  I  believe  I 
could  not  have  done  so  but  for  Pharos.  Callous  as'he 
had  been  to  my  sufferings  hitherto,  he  could  scarcely 
do  enough  for  me  now.  His  first  inquiry  in  the  morn 
ing  was  as  to  how  I  felt,  and  his  last  injunction  at 
night  was  to  the  effect  that  if  I  felt  any  return  of 
fever  I  was  to  communicate  with  him  immediately. 
From  this  show  of  consideration  on  his  part  it  would 
probably  be  argued  that  I  should  at  least  have  felt 
some  gratitude  toward  himself.  The  contrary,  how 
ever,  was  the  case.  Ever  since  he  had  announced  the 
death  of  the  Arab  to  me  my  fear  and  dislike  of  him 
had  been  intensified  rather  than  diminished.  I  was 
afraid  of  him  very  much  in  the  same  way  as  a  man 
is  afraid  of  a  loathsome  snake,  and  yet  with  that  fear 
there  was  a  peculiar  fascination  which  I  was  powerless 
to  resist. 

We  had  reached  Constantinople  early  on  Thurs 
day  morning  and  had  left  for  Vienna  at  four  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon.  In  the  latter  place  we  had  re 
mained  only  a  few  hours,  had  caught  the  next  avail 
able  train,  and  reached  Prague  the  following  morn 
ing.  What  our  next  move  would  be  I  had  not  the 
least  idea,  nor  did  Pharos  enlighten  me  upon  the 
subject.  Times  out  of  number  I  made  up  my  mind 
that  I  would  speak  to  him  about  it  and  let  him  see 
that  I  was  tired  of  so  much  travelling,  and  desired 
to  return  to  England  forthwith.  But  I  could  not 
leave  Valerie,  and  whenever  I  began  to  broach  the 
subject  my  courage  deserted  me,  and  it  did  not  re 
quire  much  self-persuasion  to  make  me  put  the  mat 
ter  off  for  a  more  convenient  opportunity. 

Of  the  Fraulein  Valerie,  up  to  the  time  of  our 
arrival  in  the  city  there  is  little  to  tell.  She  had  evi 
dently  been  informed  of  my  illness  at  Karnak,  for 


210  PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN. 

when  I  returned  to  the  steamer  she  had  arranged  that 
everything  should  be  in  readiness  for  my  reception. 
By  the  time  we  reached  Cairo  again  I  was  so  far  re 
covered  as  to  be  able  to  join  her  on  deck,  but  by  this 
time  a  curious  change  had  come  over  her,  she  was 
more  silent  and  much  more  reserved  than  heretofore, 
and  when  we  reached  the  yacht  spent  most  of  her 
days  in  her  own  cabin,  wrhere  I  could  hear  her  play 
ing  to  herself  such  wild,  sad  music  that  to  listen  to 
it  made  me  feel  miserable  for  hours  afterward.  With 
Pharos,  however,  it  was  entirely  different.  He,  who 
had  once  been  so  morose,  now  was  all  smiles,  while 
his  inseparable  companion,  the  monkey,  Pehtes,  for 
whom  I  had  conceived  a  dislike  that  was  only  second 
to  that  I  entertained  for  his  master,  equalled  if  he 
did  not  excel  him  in  the  boisterousness  of  his  humour. 
At  the  commencement  of  this  chapter  I  have  said 
that  on  this  particular  morning,  our  first  in  Prague, 
I  was  standing  before  the  doors  of  the  Teyn  Kirche, 
beneath  the  story  of  the  Crucifixion  as  it  is  told  there 
in  stone.  My  reason  for  being  there  will  be  appar 
ent  directly.  Let  it  suffice  that  when  I  entered  the 
sacred  building  I  paused,  thinking  how  beautiful  it 
was,  with  the  sunshine  straggling  in  through  those 
wonderful  windows  which  in  bygone  days  had  looked 
down  on  the  burial  of  Tycho  Brahe,  and  had  in  all 
probability  seen  John  of  Xepomuc  standing  in  the 
pulpit.  Their  light  illumined  the  grotesque  old  organ 
with  its  multitude  of  time-stained  pipes  and  dingy 
faded  ornaments,  and  contrasted  strangely  with  that 
of  the  lamps  and  candles  burning  befdre  the  various 
altars  and  shrines.  Of  all  the  churches  of  Europe 
there  is  not  one  that  affects  me  so  deeply  as  this 
famous  old  Hussite  building.  With  the  exception, 
however,  of  myself  and  a  kneeling  figure  near  the 


PHAEOS,   THE  EGYPTIAN.  211 

entrance  to  the  Marian  Capelle,  no  worshippers  were 
in  the  church.  I  stood  for  a  moment  looking  round 
the  building.  Its  vague  suggestion  of  sadness  har 
monised  with  my  own  feelings,  and  I  wondered  if, 
among  all  those  who  had  worshipped  inside  its  walls 
since  the  days  when  the  German  merchants  had  first 
erected  it,  there  had  ever  been  one  who  had  so  strange 
a  story  to  tell  as  myself.  At  last,  having  screwed  my 
courage  to  the  sticking  point,  I  made  my  way  down 
the  nave  between  the  carved,  worm-eaten  pews,  and 
approached  the  figure  I  have  referred  to  above. 
Though  I  could  not  see  her  face,  I  knew  that  it  was 
Valerie.  Her  head  was  bent  upon  her  hands  and  her 
shoulders  shook  with  emotion.  She  must  have  heard 
my  step  upon  the  stones,  for  she  suddenly  looked  up, 
and  seeing  me  before  her,  rose  from  her  knees  and 
prepared  to  leave  the  pew.  The  sight  of  her  unhappi- 
ness  affected  me  keenly,  and  when  she  reached  the 
spot  where  I  was  standing  I  could  control  myself  no 
longer.  For  the  last  few  weeks  I  had  been  hard  put 
to  it  to  keep  my  love  within  bounds,  and  now,  under 
the  influence  of  her  grief,  it  got  the  better  of  me  alto 
gether.  She  must  have  known  what  was  coming,  for- 
she  stood  before  me  with  a  troubled  expression  in 
her  eyes. 

"  Mr.  Forrester,"  she  began,  "  I  did  not  expect  to 
see  you.  How  did  you  know  that  I  was  here  ?  " 

"  Because  I  followed  you,"  I  answered  unblush- 
ingly. 

"You  followed  me?"  she  said. 

"  Yes,  and  I  am  not  ashamed  to  own  it,"  I  re 
plied.  "  Surely  you  can  understand  why?  " 

"  I  am  afraid  I  do  not,"  she  answered,  and  as  she 
did  so  she  took  a  step  away  from  me,  as  if  she  were 
afraid  of  what  she  was  going  to  hear. 


212  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

"  In  that  case  there  is  nothing  left  but  for  me  to 
tell  you,"  I  said,  and  approaching  her  I  took  pos 
session  of  the  slender  hand  which  rested  upon  the 
back  of  the  pew  behind  her.  "  I  followed  you,  Va 
lerie,  because  I  love  you,  and  because  I  wished  to 
guard  you.  Unhappily  we  have  both  of  us  the  best 
of  reasons  for  knowing  that  we  are  in  the  power  of  a 
man  who  would  stop  at  nothing  to  achieve  any  end 
he  might  have  in  view.  Did  you  hear  me  say,  Va 
lerie,  that  I  love  you?-" 

From  her  beautiful  face  every  speck  of  colour  had 
vanished  by  this  time;  her  bosom  heaved  tumultu- 
ously  under  the  intensity  of  her  emotion.  Xo  word, 
however,  passed  her  lips.  I  still  held  her  hand  in 
mine,  and  it  gave  me  courage  to  continue  when  I  saw 
that  she  did  not  attempt  to  withdraw  it. 

"Have  you  no  answer  for  me?"  I  inquired,  after 
the  long  pause  which  had  followed  my  last  speech. 
"  I  have  told  you  that  I  love  you.  If  it  is  not  enough 
I  will  do  so  again.  What  better  place  could  be  found 
for  such  a  confession  than  this  beautiful  old  church, 
which  has  seen  so  many  lovers  and  has  held  the  se 
crets  of  so  many  lives.  Valerie,  I  believe  I  have 
loved  you  since  the  afternoon  I  first  saw  you.  But 
since  I  have  known  you  and  have  learnt  your  good 
ness  that  love  has  become  doubly  strong." 

"  I  can  not  hear  you,"  she  cried,  almost  with  a 
sob,  "  indeed,  I  can  not.  You  do  not  know  what  you 
are  saying.  You  have  no  idea  of  the  pain  you  are 
causing  me." 

"  God  knows  I  would  not  give  you  pain  for  any 
thing,"  I  answered.  "  But  now  you  must  hear  me. 
Why  should  you  not?  You  are  a  good  woman,  and  I 
am,  I  trust,  an  honest  man.  Why,  therefore,  should 
I  not  love  you?  Tell  me  that." 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  213 

"  Because  it  is  madness/'  she  answered  in  despair. 
"  Situated  as  we  are  we  should  be  the  last  to  think 
of  such  a  thing.  Oh,  Mr.  Forrester,  if  only  you  had 
taken  my  advice,  and  had  gone  away  from  Naples 
when  I  implored  you  to  do  so,  this  would  not  have 
happened." 

"  If  I  have  anything  to  he  thankful  for  it  is  that," 
I  replied  fervently.  "  I  told  you  then  that  I  would 
not  leave  you.  Nor  shall  I  ever  do  so  until  I  know 
that  your  life  is  safe.  Come,  Valerie,  you  have  heard 
my  confession,  will  you  not  be  equally  candid  with 
me.  You  have  always  proved  yourself  my  friend.  Is 
it  possible  you  have  nothing  more  than  friendship 
to  offer  me?  " 

I  knew  the  woman  I  was  dealing  with.  Her  beau 
tiful,  straightforward  nature  was  incapable  of  dis 
simulation. 

"  Mr.  Forrester,  even  if  what  you  hope  is  impos 
sible,  it  would  be  unfair  on  my  part  to  deceive  you," 
she  said.  "  I  love  you,  as  you  are  worthy  to  be  loved, 
but  having  said  that  I  can  say  no  more.  You  must 
go  aAvay  and  endeavour  to  forget  that  you  ever  saw 
so  unhappy  a  person  as  myself." 

"  Never,"  I  answered,  and  then  dropping  on  one 
knee  and  pressing  her  hand  to  my  lips,  I  continued: 
"  You  have  confessed,  Valerie,  that  you  love  me,  and 
nothing  can  ever  separate  us  now.  Come  what  may, 
I  will  not  leave  you.  Here,  in  this  old  church,  by 
the  cross  on  yonder  altar,  I  swear  it.  As  we  are  to 
gether  in  trouble,  so  will  we  be  together  in  love,  and 
may  God's  blessing  rest  upon  us  both." 

"  Amen,"   she  answered   solemnly. 

She  seated  herself  in  a  pew,  and  I  took  my  place 
beside  her. 

"  Valerie,"  I  said,  "  I  followed  you  this  morning 


PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN. 

for  two  reasons.  The  first  was  to  tell  you  of  my 
love,  and  the  second  was  to  let  you  know  that  I  have 
made  up  my  mind  on  a  certain  course  of  action.  At 
any  risk  we  must  escape  from  Pharos,  and  since  you 
have  confessed  that  you  love  me  we  will  go  together." 

"  It  is  useless/'  she  answered  sorrowfully,  "  quite 
useless." 

"Hush!"  I  said,  as  three  people  entered  the 
church.  "  We  can  not  talk  here.  Let  us  find  another 
place." 

With  this  we  rose  and  left  the  building.  Proceed 
ing  into  the  street,  I  hailed  a  cab,  and  as  soon  as  we 
had  taken  our  places  in  it,  bade  the  man  drive  us  to 
the  Baumgarten.  Some  of  my  pleasantest  recollec 
tions  of  Prague  in  days  gone  by  were  clustered  round 
this  park,  but  they  were  as  nothing  compared  with 
the  happiness  I  now  enjoyed  in  visiting  it  in  the  com 
pany  of  the  woman  I  loved.  When  we  had  found  a 
seat  in  a  secluded  spot  we  resumed  the  conversation 
that  had  been  interrupted  in  the  church. 

"  You  say  that  it  is  useless  our  thinking  of  mak 
ing  our  escape  from  this  man?"  I  said.  "I  tell  you 
that  it  is  not  useless,  and  that  at  any  hazard  we  must 
do  so.  We  know  now  that  we  love  each  other.  I 
know,  at  least,  how  much  you  are  to  me.  Is  it  pos 
sible,  therefore,  that  you  can  believe  I  should  allow 
you  to  remain  in  his  power  an  instant  longer  than 
I  can  help?  In  my  life  I  have  not  feared  many  men, 
but  I  confess  that  I  fear  Pharos  as  I  do  the  devil. 
Since  I  have  known  him  I  have  had  several  oppor 
tunities  of  testing  his  power.  I  have  seen  things, 
or  he  has  made  me  believe  I  have  seen  things  which, 
under  any  other  circumstances,  would  seem  incredible, 
and,  if  it  is  likely  to  have  any  weight  with  you,  I  do 
not  mind  owning  that  his  power  over  me  is  growing 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  215 

greater  every  day.  And  that  reminds  me  there  is  a 
question  I  have  often  desired  to  ask  you.  Do  you 
remember  one  night  on  board  the  yacht,  when  we 
were  crossing  from  Naples  to  Port  Said,  telling 
Pharos  that  you  could  see  a  cave  in  which  a  mummy 
had  once  stood?  " 

She  shook  her  head. 

"  1  remember  nothing  of  it,"  she  said.  "  But  why 
do  you  ask  me  such  strange  questions?" 

I  took  her  hand  before  I  answered.  I  could  feel 
that  she  was  trembling  violently. 

"  Because  I  want  to  prove  to  you  the  diabolical 
power  the  man  possesses.  You  described  a  tomb 
from  which  the  mummy  had  been  taken.  I  have  seen 
that  tomb.  It  was  the  burial  place  of  the  Magician, 
Ptahmes,  whose  mummy  once  stood  in  my  studio  in 
London,  which  Pharos  stole  from  me,  and  which  was 
the  primary  cause  of  my  becoming  associated  with 
him.  You  described  a  subterranean  hall  with  carved 
pillars  and  paintings  on  the  walls,  and  a  mummy 
lying  upon  a  block  of  stone.  I  have  seen  that  hall, 
those  pillars,  those  carvings  and  paintings,  and  the 
mummy  of  Ptahmes  lying  stretched  out  as  you  por 
trayed  it.  You  mentioned  a  tent  in  the  desert  and  a 
sick  man  lying  on  a  bed  inside  it.  I  was  that  sick 
man,  and  it  was  to  that  tent  that  Pharos  conveyed 
me  after  I  had  spent  the  night  in  the  ruins  of  the 
Temple  of  Ammon.  The  last  incident  has  yet  to 
take  place,  but,  please  God,  if  you  will  help  me  in 
my  plan,  we  shall  have  done  with  him  long  before 
then." 

"  You  say  you  saw  all  the  things  I  described. 
Please  do  not  think  me  stupid,  but  I  do  not  under 
stand  how  you  could  have  done  so." 

Thereupon  I  told  her  all  that  had  befallen  me  at 


216  PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN. 

the  ruins  of  Karnak.  She  listened  with  feverish  in 
terest. 

"  How  is  it  that  Providence  allows  this  man  to 
live?"  she  cried  when  I  had  finished.  "Who  is  he 
and  what  is  the  terrible  power  he  possesses?  And 
what  is  to  be  the  end  of  all  his  evil  ways  ?  " 

"  That  is  a  problem  which  only  the  future  can 
solve/'  I  answered.  "  For  ourselves  it  is  sufficient 
that  we  must  get  away  from  him  and  at  once.  Noth 
ing  could  be  easier.  He  exercises  no  control  over  our 
movements.  He  does  not  attempt  to  detain  us.  AVe 
go  in  and  out  as  we  please,  therefore  all  we  have  to 
do  is  to  get  into  a  train  and  be  hundreds  of  miles 
away  before  he  is  even  aware  that  we  are  outside  the 
doors  of  the  hotel.  You  are  not  afraid,  Valerie,  to 
trust  yourself  and  your  happiness  to  me?" 

"  I  would  trust  myself  with  you  anywhere,"  she 
answered,  and  as  she  said  it  she  pressed  my  hand 
and  looked  into  my  face  with  her  brave  sweet  eyes. 
"  And  for  your  sake  I  would  do  and  bear  anything." 

Brave  as  her  words  were,  however,  a  little  sigh 
escaped  her  lips  before  she  could  prevent  it. 

"  AVhy  do  you  sigh?"  I  asked.  "Have  you  any 
doubt  as  to  the  safety  of  our  plan?  If  so  tell  me  and 
I  will  change  it." 

"  I  have  no  doubt  as  to  the  plan,"  she  answered. 
"  All  I  fear  is  that  it  may  be  useless.  I  have  already 
told  you  how  I  have  twice  tried  to  escape  him,  and 
how  on  each  occasion  he  has  brought  me  back." 

"  He  shall  not  do  so  this  time,"  I  said  with  de 
termination.  "  AA^e  will  lay  our  plans  with  the  great 
est  care,  behave  toward  him  as  if  we  contemplated 
remaining  for  ever  in  his  company,  and  then  to-mor- 
mow  morning  we  will  catch  the  train  for  Berlin,  be 
in  Hamburg  next  day,  and  in  London  three  days 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  £17 

later.  Once  there  I  have  half  a  hundred  friends  who, 
when  I  tell  them  that  you  are  hiding  from  a  man 
who  has  treated  you  most  cruelly,  and  that  you  are 
ahout  to  become  my  wife,  will  be  only  too  proud  to 
take  you  in.  Then  we  will  be  married  as  quickly  as 
can  be  arranged,  and  as  man  and  wife  defy  Pharos  to 
do  his  worst." 

She  did  her  best  to  appear  delighted  with  my 
plan,  but  I  could  see  that  she  had  no  real  faith  in 
it.  Nor,  if  the  truth  must  be  told,  was  I  in  my  own 
heart  any  too  sanguine  of  success.  I  could  not  but 
remember  the  threat  the  man  had  held  over  me  that 
night  in  the  Pyramid  at  Gizeh:  "  For  the  future  you 
are  my  property,  to  do  with  as  I  please.  You  will 
have  no  will  but  my  pleasure,  no  thought  but  to  act 
as  I  shall  tell  you."  However,  we  could  but  do  our 
best,  and  I  was  determined  it  should  not  be  my  fault 
if  our  enterprise  did  not  meet  with  success.  Not 
once  but  a  hundred  times  we  overhauled  our  plan, 
tried  its  weak  spots,  arranged  our  behaviour  before 
Pharos,  and  endeavoured  to  convince  each  other  as 
far  as  possible  that  it  could  not  fail.  And  if  we  did 
manage  to  outwit  him  how  proud  I  should  be  to 
parade  this  glorious  creature  in  London  as  my  wife, 
and  as  I  thought  of  the  happiness  the  future  might 
have  in  store  for  us,  and  remembered  that  it  all  de 
pended  on  that  diabolical  individual  Pharos,  I  felt 
sick  and  giddy  with  anxiety  to  see  the  last  of  him. 

Not  being  anxious  to  arouse  any  suspicion  in  our 
ogre's  mind  by  a  prolonged  absence,  we  at  last  agreed 
that  it  was  time  for  us  to  think  of  returning.  Ac 
cordingly,  we  left  the  park  and,  finding  the  cab  which 
had  been  ordered  to  wait  for.  us  at  the  gates,  drove 
back  to  the  city.  On  reaching  the  hotel,  we  dis 
covered  Pharos  in  the  hall  holding  in  his  hand  a 


218  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

letter  which  he  had  just  finished  reading  as  we  en 
tered.  On  seeing  us  his  wrinkled  old  face  lit  up  with 
a  smile. 

"  My  dear,"  he  said  to  Valerie,  placing  his  hand 
upon  her  arm  in  an  affectionate  manner,  "  a  very 
great  honour  has  been  paid  you.  His  Majesty,  the 
Emperor  King,  as  you  are  perhaps  aware,  arrived  in 
the  city  yesterday,  and  to-night  a  state  concert  is  to 
be  given  at  the  palace.  Invitations  have  been  sent 
to  us,  and  I  have  been  approached  in  order  to  dis 
cover  whether  you  will  consent  to  play.  Not  being 
able  to  find  you,  I  answered  that  I  felt  sure  you  would 
accept  his  Majesty's  command.  Was  I  right  in  so 
doing?  " 

Doubtless,  remembering  the  contract  we  had  en 
tered  into  together  that  morning  to  humour  Pharos 
as  far  as  possible,  Valerie  willingly  gave  her  consent. 
Though  I  did  not  let  him  see  it,  I  for  my  part  was 
not  so  pleased.  He  should  have  waited  and  have 
allowed  her  to  accept  or  decline  for  herself,  I  thought. 
However,  I  held  my  peace,  trusting  that  on  the  mor 
row  we  should  be  able  to  make  our  escape  and  so  be 
done  with  him  for  good  and  all. 

For  the  remainder  of  the  day  Pharos  exhibited 
the  most  complete  good-humour.  He  was  plainly 
looking  forward  to  the  evening.  He  had  met  Franz 
Josef  on  more  than  one  occasion,  he  informed  me, 
and  remembered  with  gusto  the  compliments  that 
had  been  paid  him  the  last  time  about  his  ward's 
playing. 

"  I  am  sure  we  shall  both  rejoice  in  her  success, 
shall  we  not,  my  dear  Forrester?"  he  said,  and  as 
he  did  so  he  glanced  slyly  at  me  out  of  the  corner 
of  his  eye.  "  As  you  can  see  for  yourself,  I  have  dis 
covered  vour  secret." 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  219 

"  I  looked  nervously  at  him.  What  did  he  mean 
hy  this?  Was  it  possible  that  by  that  same  adroit 
reasoning  he  had  discovered  our  plan  for  escaping  on 
the  following  day? 

"  I  am  afraid  I  do  not  quite  understand,"  I  re 
plied,  with  as  much  nonchalance  as  I  could  manage 
to  throw  into  my  voice.  "  Pray  what  secret  have  you 
discovered?  " 

"  That  you  love  my  ward,"  he  answered.  "  But 
why  look  so  concerned?  It  does  not  require  very 
great  perceptive  powers  to  see  that  her  beauty  has 
exercised  considerable  effect  upon  you.  Why  should 
it  not  have  done  so?  And  where  would  be  the  harm? 
She  is  a  most  fascinating  woman,  and  you,  if  you 
will  permit  me  to  tell  you  so  to  your  face,  are — 
what  shall  we  say? — well,  far  from  being  an  unpre 
possessing  man.  Like  a  foolish  guardian  I  have  per 
mitted  you  to  be  a  good  deal,  perhaps  too  much,  to 
gether,  and  the  result  even  a  child  might  have  fore 
seen.  You  have  learnt  to  love  each  other.  No;  do 
not  be  offended.  I  assure  you  there  is  no  reason  for 
it.  I  like  you,  and  I  promise  you,  if  you  continue 
to  please  me,  I  shall  raise  no  objection.  Now  what 
have  you  to  say  to  me?  " 

"  I  do  not  know  what  to  say,"  I  said,  and  it  was 
the  truth.  "  I  had  no  idea  you  suspected  anything 
of  the  kind." 

"  I  fear  you  do  not  give  me  the  credit  of  being 
very  sharp,"  he  replied.  "  And  perhaps  it  is  not  to 
be  wondered  it.  An  old  man's  wits  can  not  hope  to 
be  as  quick  as  those  of  the  young.  But  there,  we 
have  talked  enough  on  this  subject,  let  us  postpone 
consideration  of  it  until  another  day." 

"With  all  my  heart,"  I  answered.  "But  there 
is  one  question  I  had  better  ask  you  while  I  have 


220  PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN. 

the  opportunity.  I  should  be  glad  if  you  could  tell 
me  how  long  you  are  thinking  of  remaining  in  Prague. 
When  I  left  England  I  had  no  intention  of  being 
away  from  London  more  than  a  fortnight,  and  I 
have  now  trespassed  on  your  hospitality  for  upward 
of  two  months.  If  you  are  going  west  within  the 
next  week  or  so,  and  will  let  me  travel  with  you,  I 
shall  be  only  too  glad  to  do  so,  otherwise  I  fear  I  shall 
be  compelled  to  bid  you  good-bye  and  return  to  Eng 
land  alone." 

"  You  must  not  think  of  such  a  thing,"  he  an 
swered,  this  time  throwing  a  sharp  glance  at  me  from 
his  sunken  eyes.  "  Neither  Valerie  nor  I  could  get 
on  without  you.  Besides,  there  is  no  need  for  you 
to  worry.  Now  that  this  rumour  is  afloat  I  have  no 
intention  of  remaining  here  any  longer  than  I  can 
help." 

"  To  what  rumour  do  you  refer?  "  I  inquired.  "  I 
have  heard  nothing." 

"  That  is  what  it  is  to  be  in  love,"  he  replied. 
"  You  have  not  heard  then  that  one  of  the  most 
disastrous  and  terrible  plagues  of  the  last  five  hun 
dred  years  has  broken  out  on  the  shores  of  the  Bos- 
phorus,  and  is  spreading  with  alarming  rapidity 
through  Turkey  and  the  Balkan  States." 

"  I  have  not  heard  a  word  about  it,"  I  said,  and 
as  I  did  so  I  was  conscious  of  a  vague  feeling  of 
terror  in  my  heart,  that  fear  for  a  woman's  safety 
which  comes  some  time  or  another  to  every  man  who 
loves.  "  Is  it  only  newspaper  talk,  or  is  it  really  as 
serious  as  your  words  imply?  " 

"  It  is  very  serious,"  he  answered.  "  See,  here  is 
a  man  with  the  evening  paper.  I  will  purchase  one 
and  read  you  the  latest  news." 

He  did  so,  and  searched  the  columns  for  what  he 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  221 

wanted.  Though  I  was  able  to  speak  German,  I  was 
unable  to  read  it;  Pharos  accordingly  translated  for 
me. 

"  The  outbreak  of  the  plague  which  has  caused 
so  much  alarm  in  Turkey,"  he  read,  "  is,  we  regret 
having  to  inform  our  readers,  increasing  instead  of 
diminishing,  and  to-day  fresh  cases  to  the  number 
of  seven  hundred  and  thirty-three,  have  been  notified. 
For  the  twenty-four  hours  ending  at  noon  the  death- 
rate  has  equalled  eighty  per  cent,  of  those  attacked. 
The  malady  has  now  penetrated  into  Kussia,  and 
three  deaths  were  registered  as  resulting  from  it  in 
Moscow,  two  in  Odessa,  and  one  in  Kiev  yesterday. 
The  medical  experts  are  still  unable  to  assign  a  defi 
nite  name  to  it,  but  incline  to  the  belief  that  it  is  of 
Asiatic  origin,  and  will  disappear  with  the  break  up 
of  the  present  phenomenally  hot  weather." 

"  I  do  not  like  the  look  of  it  at  all,"  he  said  when 
he  had  finished  reading.  "  I  have  seen  several  of 
these  outbreaks  in  my  time,  and  I  shall  be  very  care 
ful  to  keep  well  out  of  this  one's  reach." 

"  I  agree  with  you,"  I  answered,  and  then  bade 
him  good-bye  and  went  upstairs  to  my  room,  more 
than  ever  convinced  that  it  behooved  me  to  get  the 
woman  I  loved  out  of  the  place  without  loss  of  time. 

The  concert  at  the  palace  that  night  was  a  bril 
liant  success  in  every  way,  and  never  in  her  career 
had  Valerie  looked  more  beautiful,  or  played  so  ex 
quisitely  as  on  that  occasion.  Of  the  many  handsome 
women  present  that  evening,  she  was  undoubtedly 
the  queen.  And  when,  after  her  performance,  she 
was  led  up  and  presented  to  the  Emperor  by  Count 
de  Schelyani,  an  old  friend  of  her  father's,  a  mur 
mur  of  such  admiration  ran  through  the  room  as 
those  walls  had  seldom  heard  before.  I,  also,  had 
15 


222  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

the  honour  of  being  presented  by  the  same  noble 
man,  whereupon  his  Majesty  was  kind  enough  to  ex 
press  his  appreciation  of  my  work.  It  was  not  until 
a  late  hour  that  we  reached  our  hotel  again.  When 
we  did  Pharos,  whom  the  admiration  Valerie  had  ex 
cited  seemed  to  have  placed  in  a  thoroughly  good 
humour,  congratulated  us  both  upon  our  success,  and 
then,  to  my  delight,  bade  us  good  night  and  took 
himself  off  to  his  bed.  As  soon  as  I  heard  the  door 
of  his  room  close  behind  him,  and  not  until  then,  I 
took  Valerie's  hand. 

"  I  have  made  all  the  arrangements  for  our  escape 
to-morrow,"  I  whispered,  "  or  rather  I  should  say 
to-day,  since  it  is  after  midnight.  The  train  for 
Berlin  via  Dresden,  I  have  discovered,  leaves  here  at 
a  quarter  past  six.  Do  you  think  you  can  manage 
to  be  ready  so  early?  " 

"  Of  course  I  can,"  she  answered  confidently. 
"  You  have  only  to  tell  me  what  you  want  and  I  will 
do  it." 

"  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion,"  I  said,  "  that 
it  will  not  do  for  us  to  leave  by  the  city  station.  Ac 
cordingly,  I  have  arranged  that  a  cab  shall  be  wait 
ing  for  us  in  the  Platz.  We  will  enter  it  and  drive 
down  the  line,  board  the  train,  and  bid  farewell  to 
Pharos  for  good  and  all." 

Ten  minutes  later  I  had  said  good  night  to  her 
and  had  retired  to  my  room.  The  clocks  of  the  city 
were  striking  two  as  I  entered  it.  In  four  hours 
we  should  be  leaving  the  house  to  catch  the  train 
which  we  hoped  would  bring  us  freedom.  Were  we 
destined  to  succeed  or  not?" 


CHAPTER   XV. 

So  anxious  was  I  not  to  run  any  risk  of  being 
asleep  at  the  time  we  had  arranged  to  make  our  es 
cape  that  I  did  not  go  to  bed  at  all,  but  seated  myself 
in  an  armchair  and  endeavoured  to  interest  myself 
in  a  book  until  the  fateful  hour  arrived.  Then,  leav 
ing  a  note  upon  my  dressing-table,  in  which  was  con 
tained  a  sufficient  sum  to  reimburse  the  landlord  for 
my  stay  with  him,  I  slipped  into  one  pocket  the  few 
articles  I  had  resolved  to  carry  with  me,  and  taking 
care  that  my  money  was  safely  stowed  away  in  an 
other,  I  said  good-bye  to  my  room  and  went  softly 
down  the  stairs  to  the  large  hall.  Fortune  favoured 
me,  for  only  one  servant  was  at  work  there,  an  elderly 
man  with  a  stolid,  good-humoured  countenance,  who 
glanced  up  at  me,  and,  being  satisfied  as  to  my  re 
spectability,  continued  his  work  once  more.  Of  Va 
lerie  I  could  see  no  sign,  and  since  I  did  not  know 
where  her  room  was  situated  I  occupied  myself,  while 
I  waited,  wondering  what  I  should  do  if  she  had 
overslept  herself  and  did  not  put  in  an  appearance 
until  too  late.  In  order  to  excuse  my  presence  down 
stairs  at  such  an  early  hour,  I  asked  the  man  in  which 
direction  the  cathedral  lay,  and  whether  he  could 
inform  me  at  what  time  early  mass  was  celebrated. 

He  had  scarcely  instructed  me  on  the  former  point 
and  declared  his  ignorance  of  the  latter,  before  Va- 

223 


224  PHAKOS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

lerie  appeared  at  the  head  of  the  stairs  and  descended 
to  meet  me,  carrying  her  violin  case  in  her  hand.  I 
greeted  her  in  English,  and  after  I  had  slipped  a 
couple  of  florins  into  the  servant's  hand,  we  left  the 
hotel  together  and  made  our  way  in  the  direction 
of  the  Platz,  where  to  my  delight  I  found  the  cab  I 
had  ordered  the  previous  afternoon  already  waiting 
for  us.  We  took  our  places,  and  I  gave  the  driver 
his  instructions.  In  less  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
he  had  brought  us  to  the  station  I  wanted  to  reach. 
I  had  taken  the  tickets,  and  the  train  was  carrying 
us  away  from  Prague  and  the  man  whom  we  devoutly 
hoped  we  should  never  see  again  as  long  as  we  lived. 
Throughout  the  drive  we  had  scarcely  spoken  a  couple 
of  dozen  words  to  each  other,  having  been  far  too 
much  occupied  with  the  affairs  of  the  moment  to 
think  of  anything  but  our  flight.  Knowing  Pharos 
as  we  did,  it  seemed  more  than  probable  that  he 
might  even  now  be  aware  of  our  escape,  and  be  tak 
ing  measures  to  insure  our  return.  But  when  we 
found  ourselves  safely  in  the  train  our  anxiety  les 
sened  somewhat,  and  with  every  mile  we  threw  be 
hind  us  our  spirits  returned.  By  the  time  we  reached 
Dresden  we  were  as  happy  a  couple  as  any  in  Eu 
rope,  and  when  some  hours  later  we  stepped  out  of 
the  carriage  on  to  the  platform  at  Berlin,  we  were 
as  unlike  the  pair  who  had  left  the  hotel  at  Prague  as 
the  proverbial  chalk  is  like  cheese.  Even  then,  how 
ever,  we  were  determined  to  run  no  risk.  Every  mile 
that  separated  us  from  Pharos  meant  greater  secur 
ity,  and  it  was  for  this  reason  I  had  made  up  my  mind 
to  reach  the  German  capital,  if  possible,  instead  of 
remaining  at  Dresden,  as  had  been  our  original  inten 
tion. 

When  our  train  reached  its  destination  it  was  a 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  225 

few  minutes  after  six  o'clock,  and  for  the  first  time 
in  my  life  I  stood  in  the  capital  of  the  German  em 
pire.  Though  we  had  been  travelling  for  more  than 
ten  hours,  Valerie  had  so  far  shown  no  sign  of  fa 
tigue. 

"What  do  you  propose  doing  now?"  she  inquired 
as  we  stood  together  on  the  platform. 

"  Obtain  some  dinner,"  I  answered,  with  a  prompt 
ness  and  directness  worthy  of  the  famous  Mr.  Dick. 

"  You  must  leave  that  to  me,"  she  said,  with  one 
of  her  own  bright  smiles,  which  had  been  so  rare  of 
late.  "  Remember  I  am  an  old  traveller,  and  prob 
ably  know  Europe  as  well  as  you  know  Piccadilly." 

"  I  will  leave  it  to  you  then,"  I  answered,  "  and 
surely  man  had  never  a  fairer  pilot." 

"  On  any  other  occasion  I  should  warn  you  to  be 
ware  of  compliments,"  she  replied,  patting  me  gaily 
on  the  arm  with  her  hand,  "  but  I  feel  so  happy  now 
that  I  am  compelled  to  excuse  you.  To-night,  for 
the  last  time,  I  am  going  to  play  the  part  of  your 
hostess.  After  that  it  will  be  your  duty  to  entertain 
me.  Let  us  leave  by  this  door." 

So  saying,  she  led  me  from  the  station  into  the 
street  outside,  along  which  we  passed  for  some  con 
siderable  distance.  Eventually  we  reached  a  restau 
rant,  before  which  Valerie  paused. 

"  The  proprietor  is  an  old  friend  of  mine,"  she 
said,  "  who,  though  he  is  acquainted  with  Pharos,  will 
not,  I  am  quite  sure,  tell  him  he  has  seen  us." 

We  entered,  and  when  the  majordomo  came  for 
ward  to  conduct  us  to  a  table,  Valerie  inquired 
whether  his  master  were  visible.  The  man  stated 
that  he  would  find  out,  and  departed  on  his  errand. 

While  we  waited  I  could  not  help  noticing  the 
admiring  glances  that  were  thrown  at  my  companion 


226  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

by  the  patrons  of  the  restaurant,  among  whom  were 
several  officers  in  uniform.  Just,  however,  as  I  was 
thinking  that  some  of  the  latter  would  be  none  the 
worse  for  a  little  lesson  in  manners,  the  shuffling  of 
feet  was  heard,  and  presently,  from  a  doorway  on  the 
right,  the  fattest  man  I  have  ever  seen  in  my  life 
made  his  appearance.  He  wore  carpet  slippers  on  his 
feet,  and  a  red  cap  upon  his  head,  and  carried  in  his 
hand  a  long  German  pipe  with  a  china  bowl.  His 
face  was  clean  shaven,  and  a  succession  of  chins  fell 
one  below  another,  so  that  not  an  inch  of  his  neck 
was  visible.  Having  entered  the  room,  he  paused, 
and  when  the  waiter  had  pointed  us  out  to  him  as 
the  lady  and  gentleman  who  had  asked  to  see  him, 
he  approached  and  affected  a  contortion  of  his  anat 
omy  which  was  evidently  intended  to  be  a  bow. 

"  I  am  afraid,  Herr  Schuncke,  that  you  do  not 
remember  me,"  said  Valerie,  after  the  short  pause 
that  followed. 

The  man  looked  at  her  rather  more  closely,  and 
a  moment  later  was  bowing  even  more  profusely  and 
inelegantly  than  before. 

"  My  dear  young  lady,"  he  said,  "  I  beg  your  par 
don  ten  thousand  times.  For  the  moment,  I  con 
fess,  I  did  not  recognise  you.  Had  I  done  so  I  should 
not  have  kept  you  standing  here  so  long." 

Then,  looking  round,  with  rather  a  frightened 
air,  he  added,  "But  I  do  not  see  Monsieur  Pharos? 
Perhaps  he  is  with  you,  and  will  be  here  presently?" 

"  I  sincerely  hope  not,"  Valerie  replied.  "  That 
is  the  main  reason  of  my  coming  to  you."  Then, 
sinking  her  voice  to  a  whisper,  she  added,  as  she  saw 
the  man's  puzzled  expression,  "  I  know  I  can  trust 
you,  Herr  Schuncke.  The  truth  is,  I  have  run  away 
from  him." 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  227 

"  Herr  Gott!  "  said  the  old  fellow.  "  So  you  have 
run  away  from  him.  Well,  I  do  not  wonder  at  it,  but 
you  must  not  tell  him  I  said  so.  How  you  could 
have  put  up  with  him  so  long  I  do  not  know;  but 
that  is  no  business  of  mine.  But  I  am  an  old  fool; 
while  I  am  talking  so  much  I  should  be  finding  out 
how  I  can  be  of  assistance  to  you." 

"  You  will  not  find  that  very  difficult,"  she  re 
plied.  "  All  we  are  going  to  trouble  you  for  is  some 
dinner,  and  your  promise  to  say  nothing,  should  Mon 
sieur  Pharos  come  here  in  search  of  us." 

"  I  will  do  both  with  the  utmost  pleasure,"  he  an 
swered.  "  You  may  be  sure  I  will  say  nothing,  and 
you  shall  have  the  very  best  dinner  old  Ludwig  can 
cook.  What  is  more,  you  shall  have  it  in  my  own 
private  sitting-room,  where  you  will  be  undisturbed. 
Oh,  I  can  assure  you,  Friiulein,  it  is  very  good  to  see 
your  face  again." 

"  It  is  very  kind  of  you  to  say  so,"  said  Valerie, 
"  and  also  to  take  so  much  trouble.  I  thank  you." 

"  You  must  not  thank  me  at  all,"  the  old  fellow 
replied.  "  But  some  day,  perhaps,  you  will  let  me 
hear  you  play  again."  Then,  pointing  to  the  violin- 
case,  which  I  carried  in  my  hand,  he  continued,  "  I 
see  you  have  brought  the  beautiful  instrument  with 
you.  Ah,  Gott!  what  recollections  it  conjures  up 
for  me.  I  can  see  old — but  there,  there,  come  with 
me,  or  I  shall  be  talking  half  the  night!  " 

We  accordingly  followed  him  through  the  door 
by  which  he  had  entered,  and  along  a  short  passage 
to  a  room  at  the  rear  of  the  building.  Here  he  bade 
us  make  ourselves  at  home,  while  he  departed  to  see 
about  the  dinner.  Before  he  did  so,  however,  Valerie 
stopped  him. 

"  Herr  Schuncke,"  she  said,  "  before  you  leave  us, 


228  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

I  want  your  congratulations.  Let  me  introduce  you 
to  Mr.  Forrester,  the  gentleman  to  whom  I  am  about 
to  be  married/' 

The  old  fellow  turned  to  me,  and  gave  another 
of  his  grotesque  bows. 

"  Sir/'  'he  said,  "  I  congratulate  you  with  all  my 
heart.  To  hear  her  play  always,  ah!  what  good  for 
tune  for  a  man.  You  will  have  a  treasure  in  your 
house  that  no  money  could  buy.  Be  sure  that  you 
treat  her  as  such." 

When  I  had  promised  to  do  so,  the  warm-hearted 
old  fellow  departed  on  his  errand. 

I  must  leave  you  to  imagine  the  happiness  of  that 
dinner.  Even  now  it  sends  a  thrill  through  me  to 
think  of  it.  I  can  recall  the  quaint  little  room,  so 
undeniably  German  in  its  furniture  and  decorations; 
the  table  laden  with  the  good  things  the  landlord  had 
provided  for  us — even  to  the  extent  of  a  bottle  of  his 
own  particular  wine,  which  only  saw  the  light  on 
the  most  important  occasions;  the  military-looking 
waiter,  with  his  close-cropped  hair  and  heavy  eyes; 
and  Valerie  seated  opposite,  looking  so  beautiful  and 
so  happy  that  I  could  scarcely  believe  she  was  the 
same  woman  I  had  seen  rising  from  her  knees  in  the 
Teyn  Kirche  only  the  day  before. 

"  I  hope  all  this  travelling  has  not  tired  you,  dear 
est?  "  I  said,  when  the  waiter  had  handed  us  our  cof 
fee  and  had  left  the  room. 

"  You  forget  that  I  am  an  old  traveller,"  she  said, 
"  and  not  likely  to  be  fatigued  by  such  a  short  jour 
ney.  You  have  some  reason,  however,  for  asking  the 
question.  What  is  it?" 

"  I  will  tell  you,"  I  answered.  "  I  have  been 
thinking  that  it  would  not  be  altogether  safe  for  us 
to  remain  in  Berlin.  It  is  quite  certain  that,  as  soon 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  229 

as  he  discovers  that  we  are  gone,  Pharos  will  make 
inquiries,  and  find  out  what  trains  left  Prague  in 
the  early  morning.  He  will  then  put  two  and  two 
together,  after  his  own  diabolical  fashion,  and  as 
likely  as  not  he  will  he  here  in  search  of  us  to-morrow 
morning,  if  not  sooner." 

"In  that  case,  what  do  you  propose  doing?"  she 
asked. 

"  I  propose,  if  you  are  not  too  tired,  to  leave  here 
by  the  express  at  half-past  seven,"  I  replied,  "  and 
travel  as  far  as  Wittenberge,  which  place  we  should 
reach  by  half-past  ten.  We  can  manage  it  very  easily. 
I  will  telegraph  for  rooms,  and  to-morrow  morning 
early  we  can  continue  our  journey  to  Hamburg, 
where  we  shall  have  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  a 
steamer  for  London.  Pharos  would  never  think  of 
looking  for  us  in  a  small  place  like  Wittenberge,  and 
we  should  be  on  board  the  steamer  and  en  route  to 
England  by  this  time  to-morrow  evening." 

"  I  can  be  ready  as  soon  as  you  like,"  she  an 
swered  bravety,  "  but  before  we  start  you  must  give 
me  time  to  reward  Herr  Schuncke  for  his  kindness 
to  us." 

A  few  moments  later  our  host  entered  the  room. 
I  was  about  to  pay  for  our  meal,  when  Valerie  stopped 
me. 

"  You  must  do  nothing  of  the  kind,"  she  said; 
"  remember,  you  are  my  guest.  Surely  you  would 
not  deprive  me  of  one  of  the  greatest  pleasures  I  have 
had  for  a  long  time?" 

"  You  shall  pay  with  all  my  heart,"  I  answered, 
"  but  not  with  Pharos'  money." 

"  I  never  thought  of  that,"  she  replied,  and 
her  beautiful  face  flushed  crimson.  "  No,  no,  you 
are  quite  right.  I  could  not  entertain  you  with 


230  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

his  money.  But  what  am  I  to  do?  I  have  no 
other." 

"  In  that  case  you  must  permit  me  to  be  your 
banker,"  I  answered,  and  with  that  I  pulled  from  my 
pocket  a  handful  of  German  coins. 

Herr  Schuncke  at  first  refused  to  take  anything, 
but  when  Valerie  declared  that  if  he  did  not  do  so 
she  would  not  play  to  him,  he  reluctantly  consented, 
vowing  at  the  same  time  that  he  would  not  accept 
it  himself,  but  would  bestow  it  upon  Ludwig.  Then 
Valerie  went  to  the  violin-case,  which  I  had  placed 
upon  a  side  table,  and  taking  her  precious  instrument 
from  it — the  only  legacy  she  had  received  from  her 
father — tuned  it,  and  stood  up  to  play.  As  Valerie 
informed  me  later,  the  old  man,  though  one  would 
scarcely  have  imagined  it  from  his  commonplace  ex 
terior,  was  a  passionate  devotee  of  the  beautiful  art, 
and  now  he  stood,  leaning  against  the  wall,  his  fat 
hands  clasped  before  him,  and  his  upturned  face  ex 
pressive  of  the  most  celestial  enjoyment.  Nor  had 
Valerie,  to  my  thinking,  ever  done  herself  greater 
justice.  She  had  escaped  from  a  life  of  misery  that 
had  been  to  her  a  living  death,  and  her  whole  being 
was  in  consequence  radiant  with  happiness;  this  was 
reflected  in  her  playing.  Nor  was  the  effect  she  pro 
duced  limited  to  Herr  Schuncke.  Under  the  influ 
ence  of  her  music  I  found  myself  building  castles  in 
the  air,  and  upon  such  firm  foundations,  too,  that  for 
the  moment  it  seemed  no  wind  would  ever  be  strong 
enough  to  blow  them  down.  When  she  ceased  I  woke 
as  from  a  happy  dream;  Schuncke  uttered  a  long 
sigh,  as  much  as  to  say,  "  It  will  be  many  years  be 
fore  I  shall  hear  anything  like  that  again,"  and  then 
it  was  time  to  go.  The  landlord  accompanied  us  into 
the  street  and  called  a  cab.  As  it  pulled  up  beside 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  231 

the  pavement  a  cripple  passed,  making  his  way  slowly 
along  with  the  assistance  of  a  pair  of  crutches.  Va 
lerie  stopped  him. 

"  My  poor  fellow,"  she  said,  handing  him  the  purse 
containing  the  money  with  which,  ten  minutes  be 
fore,  she  had  thought  of  paying  for  our  dinner,  "  there 
is  a  little  present  which  I  hope  may  bring  you  more 
happiness  than  it  has  done  me.  Take  it." 

The  man  did  so,  scarcely  able  to  contain  his  sur 
prise,  and  when  he  had  examined  the  contents  burst 
into  a  flood  of  thanks. 

"  Hush,"  she  said,  "  you  must  not  thank  me.  You 
do  not  know  what  you  are  saying."  Then  turning 
to  Schuncke,  she  held  out  her  hand.  "  Good-bye," 
she  said,  "  and  thank  you  for  your  kindness.  I  know 
that  you  will  say  nothing  about  having  seen  us." 

"  You  need  have  no  fear  on  that  score,"  he  said. 
"  Pharos  shall  hear  nothing  from  me,  I  can  promise 
you  that.  Farewell,  Fraulein,  and  may  your  life  be 
a  happy  one." 

I  said  good-bye  to  him,  and  then  took  my  place 
in  the  vehicle  beside  Valerie.  A  quarter  of  an  hour 
later  we  were  on  our  way  to  Wittenberge,  and  Ber 
lin,  like  Prague,  was  only  a  memory.  Before  leav 
ing  the  station  I  had  purchased  an  armful  of  papers, 
illustrated  and  otherwise,  for  Valerie's  amusement. 
Though  she  professed  to  have  no  desire  to  read  them, 
but  to  prefer  sitting  by  my  side,  holding  my  hand, 
and  talking  of  the  happy  days  we  hoped  and  trusted 
were  before  us,  she  found  time,  as  the  journey  pro 
gressed,  to  skim  their  contents.  Seeing  her  do  this 
brought  the  previous  evening  to  my  remembrance, 
and  I  inquired  what  further  news  there  was  of  the 
terrible  pestilence  which  Pharos  had  declared  to  be 
raging  in  eastern  Europe. 


232  PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN. 

"  I  am  afraid  it  is  growing  worse  instead  of  bet 
ter,"  she  answered,  when  she  had  consulted  the  paper. 
"  The  latest  telegram  declares  that  there  have  been 
upward  of  a  thousand  fresh  cases  in  Turkey  alone 
within  the  past  twenty-four  hours,  that  it  has  spread 
along  the  Black  Sea  as  far  as  Odessa,  and  north  as 
far  as  Kiev.  Five  cases  are  reported  from  Vienna; 
and,  stay,  here  is  a  still  later  telegram  in  which  it 
says  " — she  paused,  and  a  look  of  horror  came  into 
her  face,  "  Can  this  be  true  ? — it  says  that  the  pesti 
lence  has  broken  out  in  Prague,  and  that  the  Count 
de  Schelyani,  who,  you  remember,  was  so  kind  and 
attentive  to  us  last  night  at  the  palace,  was  seized 
this  morning,  and  at  the  time  this  telegram  was  de 
spatched  was  lying  in  a  critical  condition." 

"  That  is  bad  news  indeed,"  I  said.  "  Not  only 
for  Austria  but  also  for  us." 

"How  for  us?"  she  asked. 

"  Because  it  will  make  Pharos  move  out  of 
Prague,"  I  replied.  "  When  he  spoke  to  me  yester 
day  of  the  way  in  which  this  disease  was  gaining 
ground  in  Europe  he  seemed  visibly  frightened,  and 
stated  that  as  soon  as  it  came  too  near  he  should  at 
once  leave  the  city.  We  have  had  one  exhibition  of 
his  cowardice,  and  you  may  be  sure  he  will  be  off 
now  as  fast  as  trains  can  take  him.  It  must  be  our 
business  to  take  care  that  his  direction  and  ours  arc 
not  the  same." 

"  But  how  are  we  to  tell  in  which  direction  he 
will  travel  ?  "  asked  Valerie,  whose  face  had  suddenly 
grown  bloodless  in  its  pallor. 

"  We  must  take  our  chance  of  that,"  I  answered. 
"  My  principal  hope  is  that  knowing,  as  he  does,  the 
whereabouts  of  the  yacht  he  will  make  for  her,  board 
her,  and  depart  for  mid-ocean  to  wait  there  until  all 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  233 

danger  is  passed.  For  my  own  part  I  am  willing  to 
own  that  I  do  not  like  the  look  of  things  at  all.  I 
shall  not  feel  safe  until  I  have  got  you  safely  into 
England,  and  that  little  silver  streak  of  sea  is  between 
us  and  the  Continent." 

"You  do  love  me,  Cyril,  do  you  not?"  she  in 
quired,  slipping  her  little  hand  into  mine,  and  look 
ing  into  my  face  with  those  eyes  that  seemed  to  grow 
more  beautiful  with  every  day  I  looked  into  them. 
'•'  I  could  not  live  without  your  love  now." 

"  God  grant  you  may  never  be  asked  to  do  so," 
I  answered;  "  I  love  you,  dearest,  as  I  believe  man 
never  loved  woman  before,  and,  come  what  may, 
nothing  shall  separate  us.  Surely  even  death  itself 
could  not  be  so  cruel.  But  why  do  you  talk  in  this 
dismal  strain?  The  miles  are  slipping  behind  us; 
Pharos,  let  us  hope,  is  banished  from  our  lives  for 
ever;  we  are  together,  and  as  soon  as  we  reach  Lon 
don,  we  shall  be  man  and  wife.  No,  no,  you  must 
not  be  afraid,  Valerie." 

"  I  am  afraid  of  nothing,"  she  answered,  "  when 
I  am  with  you.  But  ever  since  we  left  Berlin  I  seem 
to  have  been  overtaken  by  a  fit  of  melancholy  which 
I  can  not  throw  off.  I  have  reasoned  with  myself 
in  vain.  Why  I  should  feel  like  this  I  can  not 
think.  It  is  only  transitory,  I  am  sure;  so  you 
must  bear  with  me;  to-morrow  I  shall  be  quite 
myself  again." 

"  Bear  with  you,  do  you  say?  "  I  answered.  "  You 
know  that  I  will  do  so.  You  have  been  so  brave 
till  now,  that  I  can  not  let  you  give  way  just  at  the 
moment  when  happiness  is  within  your  reach.  Try 
and  keep  your  spirits  up,  my  darling,  for  both  our 
sakes.  To-morrow,  you  will  be  on  the  blue  sea  with 
the  ship's  head  pointing  for  old  England.  And  after 


234:  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

that — well,  I  told  you  just  now  what  would  happen 
then." 

In  spite  of  her  promises,  however,  I  found  that 
in  the  morning  my  hopes  were  not  destined  to  be 
realized.  Though  she  tried  hard  to  make  me  believe 
that  the  gloom  had  passed,  it  needed  very  little  dis 
cernment  upon  my  part  to  see  that  the  cheerfulness 
she  affected  was  all  assumed,  and,  what  made  it 
doubly  hard  to  bear,  that  it  was  for  my  sake. 

Our  stay  at  Wittenberge  was  not  a  long  one.  As 
soon  as  we  had  finished  our  breakfast,  we  caught  the 
8.30  express  and  resumed  our  journey  to  Hamburg, 
arriving  there  a  little  before  midday.  Throughout 
the  journey,  Valerie  had  caused  me  considerable  anx 
iety.  Not  only  had  her  spirits  reached  a  lower  level 
than  they  had  yet  attained,  but  her  face,  during  the 
last  few  hours,  had  grown  singularly  pale  and  drawn, 
and  when  I  at  last  drove  her  to  it,  she  broke  down 
completely  and  confessed  to  feeling  far  from  well. 

"  But  it  can  not  be  anything  serious,"  she  cried. 
"  I  am  sure  it  can  not.  It  only  means  that  I  am  not 
such  a  good  traveller  as  I  thought.  Remember,  we 
have  covered  a  good  many  hundred  miles  in  the  last 
week,  and  we  have  had  more  than  our  share  of  anx 
iety.  As  soon  as  we  reach  our  hotel  in  Hamburg 
I  will  go  to  my  room  and  lie  down.  After  I  have 
had  some  sleep,  I  have  no  doubt  I  shall  be  myself 
again." 

I  devoutly  hoped  so;  but  in  spite  of  her  assur 
ance,  my  anxiety  was  in  no  way  diminished.  Obtain 
ing  a  cab,  we  drove  at  once  to  the  Hotel  Continental, 
at  which  I  had  determined  to  stay.  Here  I  engaged 
rooms  as  usual  for  Mr.  and  Miss  Clifford,  for  it  was 
as  brother  and  sister  we  had  decided  to  pass  until  we 
should  reach  England  and  be  made  man  and  wife. 


PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN.  235 

It  was  just  luncheon-time  when  we  arrived  there; 
but  Valerie  was  so  utterly  prostrated  that  I  could  not 
induce  her  to  partake  of  anything.  She  preferred, 
she  declared,  to  retire  to  her  room  at  once,  and  be 
lieving  that  this  would  be  the  wisest  course  for  her 
to  pursue,  I  was  only  too  glad  that  she  should  do 
so.  Accordingly,  when  she  had  left  me  I  partook 
of  lunch  alone,  but  with  no  zest,  as  may  be  supposed, 
and  having  despatched  it,  put  on  my  hat  and  made 
my  way  to  the  premises  of  the  Steamboat  Company 
in  order  to  inquire  about  a  boat  for  England. 

On  arrival  at  the  office  in  question  it  was  easily 
seen  that  something  unusual  had  occurred.  In  place 
of  the  business-like  hurry  to  which  I  was  accustomed, 
I  found  the  clerks  lolling  listlessly  at  their  desks.  So 
far  as  I  could  see,  they  had  no  business  wherewith  to 
occupy  themselves.  Approaching  the  counter,  I  in 
quired  when  their  next  packet  would  sail  for  the 
United  Kingdom,  and  in  return  received  a  stagger 
ing  reply. 

"  I  am  afraid,  sir,"  said  the  man,  "  you  will  find 
considerable  difficulty  in  getting  into  England  just 
now." 

"Difficulty  in  getting  into  England?"  I  cried  in 
astonishment,  "and  why  so,  pray?" 

"Surely  you  must  have  heard?"  he  replied,  and 
looking  me  up  and  down  as  if  I  were  a  stranger  but 
lately  arrived  from  the  moon.  The  other  clerks 
smiled  incredulously. 

"  I  have  heard  nothing,"  I  replied,  a  little  net 
tled  at  the  fellow's  behaviour.  "  Pray  be  kind  enough 
to  inform  me  what  you  mean.  I  am  most  desirous  of 
reaching  London  at  once,  and  will  thank  you  to  be 
good  enough  to  tell  me  when,  and  at  what  hour,  your 
next  boat  leaves?  " 


236  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

"  We  have  no  boat  leaving,"  the  clerk  answered, 
this  time  rather  more  respectfully  than  before. 
"  Surely,  sir,  you  must  have  heard  that  there  have 
been  two  cases  of  the  plague  notified  in  this  city 
to-day,  and  more  than  a  hundred  in  Berlin;  conse 
quently,  the  British  Government  have  closed  their 
ports  to  German  vessels,  and,  as  it  is  rumoured  that 
the  disease  has  made  its  appearance  in  France,  it  is 
doubtful  whether  you  will  get  into  a  French  port 
either." 

"  But  I  must  reach  England,"  I  answered  desper 
ately.  "  My  business  is  most  important.  I  do  not 
know  what  I  shall  do  if  I  am  prevented.  I  must  sail 
to-day,  or  to-morrow  at  latest." 

"  In  that  case,  sir,  I  am  afraid  it  is  out  of  my 
power  to  help  you,"  said  the  man.  "  We  have  re 
ceived  a  cablegram  from  our  London  office  this  morn 
ing  advising  us  to  despatch  no  more  boats  until  we 
receive  further  orders." 

"  Are  you  sure  there  is  no  other  way  in  which 
you  can  help  me?  "  I  asked.  "  I  shall  be  glad  to  pay 
anything  in  reason  for  the  accommodation." 

"  It  is  just  possible,  though  I  must  tell  you,  sir, 
I  do  not  think  it  is  probable,  that  you  might  be  able 
to  induce  the  owner  of  some  small  craft  to  run  the 
risk  of  putting  you  across,  but  as  far  as  we  are  con 
cerned,  it  is  out  of  the  question.  Why,  sir,  I  can  tell 
you  this,  if  we  had  a  boat  running  this  afternoon,  I 
could  fill  every  berth  thrice  over,  and  in  less  than 
half  an  hour.  What's  more,  sir,  I'd  be  one  of  the 
passengers  myself.  We've  been  deluged  with  applica 
tions  all  day.  It  looks  as  if  everybody  is  being  scared 
off  the  Continent  by  the  news  of  the  plague.  I  only 
wish  I  were  safe  back  in  England  myself.  I  was  a 
fool  ever  to  have  left  it." 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  237 

While  the  man  was  talking  I  had  been  casting 
about  me  for  some  way  out  of  my  difficulty,  and  the 
news  that  this  awful  pestilence  had  made  its  ap 
pearance  in  the  very  city  in  which  we  now  were, 
filled  me  with  so  great  a  fear  that,  under  the  influ 
ence  of  it,  I  very  nearly  broke  down.  Pulling  myself 
together,  however,  I  thanked  the  man  for  his  informa 
tion,  and  made  my  way  into  the  street  once  more. 
There  I  paused  and  considered  what  I  should  do.  To 
delay  was  impossible.  Even  now  Pharos  might  be 
close  behind  me.  A  few  hours  more,  and  it  was 
just  possible  he  might  have  tracked  us  to  our  hiding- 
place.  But  I  soon  discovered  that  even  my  dread 
of  Pharos  was  not  as  great  as  my  fear  of  the  plague, 
and  as  I  have  said  before,  I  did  not  fear  that  for  my 
self.  It  was  of  Valerie  I  thought,  of  the  woman  I 
loved  more  than  all  the  world;  whose  existence  was 
so  much  to  me  that  without  her  I  should  not  have 
cared  to  go  on  living.  The  recollection  of  her  illness 
brought  a  thought  into  my  mind  that  was  so  terrible, 
so  overwhelming,  that  I  staggered  on  the  pavement 
and  had  to  clutch  at  a  tree  for  support. 

"  My  God,"  I  said  to  myself,  "  what  should  I  do 
if  this  illness  proved  to  be  the  plague  ?  " 

The  very  thought  of  such  a  thing  was  more  than 
I  could  bear.  It  choked,  it  suffocated  me,  taking  all 
the  pluck  out  of  me  and  making  me  weaker  than  a 
little  child.  But  it  could  not  be  true,  I  said,  happen 
what  might  I  would  not  believe  it.  Fate,  which  had 
brought  so  much  evil  upon  me  already,  could  not  be 
so  cruel  as  to  frustrate  all  my  hopes  just  when  I 
thought  I  had  turned  the  corner  and  was  in  sight 
of  peace  once  more. 

What  the  passers-by  must  have  thought  I  do  not 
know,  nor  do  I  care.  The  dreadful  thought  that 
1C 


238  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

filled  my  mind  was  more  to  me  than  anyone  else's 
good  opinion  could  possibly  be.  When  I  recovered 
myself  I  resumed  my  walk  to  the  hotel,  breathing 
in  gasps  as  the  thought  returned  upon  me,  and  my 
whole  body  alternately  flushing  with  hope  and  then 
numbed  with  terror.  More  dead  than  alive  I  en 
tered  the  building  and  climbed  the  stairs  to  the  sit 
ting-room  I  had  engaged.  I  had  half  hoped  that  on 
opening  the  door  I  should  find  Valerie  awaiting  me 
there,  but  I  was  disappointed.  Unable  to  contain 
my  anxiety  any  longer,  I  went  along  the  passage  and 
knocked  at  the  door  of  her  room. 

"  Who  is  there  ?  "  a  voice  that  I  scarcely  recog 
nised  asked  in  German. 

"  It  is  I?  "  I  replied.     "  Are  you  feeling  better?  " 

"  Yes,  better,"  she  answered,  still  in  the  same 
hard  tone,  "  but  I  think  I  would  prefer  to  lie  here 
a  little  longer.  Do  not  be  anxious  about  me,  I  shall 
be  quite  myself  again  by  dinner  time." 

I  asked  if  there  was  anything  I  could  procure  for 
her,  and  on  being  informed  to  the  contrary,  left  her 
and  went  down  to  the  manager's  office  in  the  hope 
that  I  might  be  able  to  discover  from  him  some  way 
in  which  we  might  escape  to  our  own  country. 

"  You  have  reached  Hamburg  at  a  most  unfor 
tunate  time,"  he  answered.  "  As  you  are  doubtless 
aware,  the  plague  has  broken  out  here,  and  Heaven 
alone  knows  what  we  shall  do  if  it  continues.  I  have 
seen  one  of  the  councillors  within  the  last  hour,  and 
he  tells  me  that  three  fresh  cases  have  been  notified 
since  midday.  The  evening  telegrams  report  that 
more  than  five  thousand  deaths  have  already  occurred 
in  Turkey  and  Eussia  alone.  It  is  raging  in  Vienna, 
and  indeed  through  the  whole  of  Austria.  In  Dres 
den  and  Berlin  it  has  also  commenced  its  dreadful 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  239 

work,  while  three  cases  have  been  certified  in  France. 
So  far  England  is  free,  but  how  long  she  will  continue 
to  be  so  it  is  impossible  to  say.  That  they  are  grow 
ing  anxious  there  is  evident  from  the  stringency  of 
the  quarantine  regulations  they  are  passing.  ~No 
vessel  from  any  infected  country,  they  do  not  limit 
it  even  to  ports,  is  allowed  to  land  either  passengers 
or  cargo  until  after  three  weeks'  quarantine,  so  that 
communication  with  the  Continent  is  practically  cut 
off.  The  situation  is  growing  extremely  critical,  and 
every  twenty-four  hours  promises  to  make  it  more  so." 

"  In  that  case  I  do  not  know  what  I  shall  do," 
I  said,  feeling  as  if  my  heart  would  break  under  the 
load  it  was  compelled  to  carry. 

"  I  am  extremely  sorry  for  you,  sir,"  the  manager 
answered,  "  but  what  is  bad  for  you  is  even  worse 
for  us.  You  simply  want  to  get  back  to  your  home. 
We  have  home,  nay,  even  life  itself  at  stake." 

"  It  is  bad  for  everyone  alike,"  I  answered,  and 
then,  with  a  heart  even  heavier  than  it  was  before, 
I  thanked  him  for  his  courtesy  and  made  my  way 
upstairs  to  our  sitting-room  once  more.  I  opened 
the  door  and  walked  in,  and  then  uttered  a  cry  of 
delight,  for  Valerie  was  at  the  farther  end  of  the 
room,  standing  before  the  window.  My  pleasure, 
however,  was  short  lived,  for  on  hearing  my  step  she 
turned,  and  I  was  able  to  see  her  face.  What  I  saw 
there  almost  brought  my  heart  into  my  mouth. 

"Valerie,"  I  cried,  "what  has  happened?  Are 
you  worse  that  you  look  at  me  like  that?" 

"  Hush!  "  she  whispered,  "  do  not  speak  so  loud. 
Can  not  you  see  that  Pharos  is  coming?" 

Her  beautiful  eyes  were  open  to  their  widest  ex 
tent,  and  there  was  an  air  about  her  that  spoke  of  an 
impending  tragedy. 


24:0  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

"  Pharos  is  coining,"  she  said  again,  this  time  very 
slowly  and  deliberately.  "  It  is  too  late  for  us  to 
escape.  He  is  driving  down  the  street." 

There  was  a  long  pause,  during  which  I  felt  as  if 
I  were  being  slowly  turned  to  stone. 

"  He  has  entered  the  hotel." 

There  was  another  pause. 

"  He  is  here."  And  as  she  spoke  the  handle  of 
the  door  was  turned. 

As  the  person,  whoever  he  might  be,  entered,  Va 
lerie  uttered  a  little  cry  and  fell  senseless  into  my 
arms.  I  held  her  tightly  and  then  wheeled  round 
to  see  who  the  intruder  might  be. 

It  was  Pharos! 


CHAPTEE    XVI. 

FOR  more  than  a  minute  neither  of  us  moved. 
Valerie  lay  in  my  arms  just  as  she  had  fallen,  Pharos 
stood  a  foot  or  so  inside  the  door,  while  I  stood  look 
ing  first  at  her  and  then  at  him  without  being  able 
to  utter  a  word.  As  far  as  my  own  feelings  were 
concerned  the  end  of  the  world  had  come,  for  I  had 
made  up  my  mind  that  Valerie  was  dying.  If  that 
were  so,  Pharos  might  do  his  worst. 

"  My  friends,  it  would  seem  as  if  I  have  come 
only  just  in  time,"  he  said  with  sarcastic  sweetness. 
"  My  dear  Forrester,  I  must  offer  you  my  congratula 
tions  upon  the  neat  manner  in  which  you  effected 
your  escape.  Unfortunately  I  was  aware  of  it  all 
along.  Knowing  what  was  in  your  heart,  I  laid  my 
plans  accordingly,  and  here  I  am.  And  pray,  may 
I  ask,  what  good  have  you  done  yourself  by  your 
impetuosity?  You  chase  across  Europe  at  express 
speed,  hoping  to  get  to  England  before  I  can  catch 
you,  only  to  find  on  arrival  here  that  the  plague  has 
headed  you  off,  and  that  it  is  impossible  for  you  to 
reach  your  destination." 

"Are  you  going  to  stand  talking  all  day?"  I 
said,  forgetting  caution  and  the  need  that  existed 
for  humouring  him,  everything  in  fact,  in  my  anx 
iety.  "  Can  not  you  see  that  she  is  ill?  Good  heav 
ens,  man,  she  may  be  dying!  " 

241 


24:2  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  he  asked  quickly,  with  a 
change  of  voice  as  he  crossed  the  room  and  came  over 
to  where  I  was  standing.  "  Let  me  see  her  in 
stantly!  " 

With  a  deftness,  and  at  the  same  time  a  tender 
ness  I  had  never  noticed  in  him  before,  he  took  her 
from  me  and  placed  her  upon  a  sofa.  Having  done 
so,  he  stooped  over  her  and  commenced  his  examina 
tion.  Thirty  seconds  had  not  elapsed  before  he  turned 
fiercely  on  me  again. 

"  You  fool!  "  he  cried,  "  are  you  mad?  Lock  that 
door  this  instant.  This  is  more  serious  than  I  im 
agined.  Do  you  know  what  it  is?" 

"  How  should  I  ?  "  I  answered  in  agony.  "  Tell 
me,  tell  me,  can  not  you  see  how  much  I  am  suf 
fering  ?  " 

I  clutched  him  by  the  arm  so  tightly  that  he 
winced  under  it  and  had  to  exert  his  strength  to 
throw  me  off. 

"  It  is  the  plague,"  he  answered,  "  and  but  for 
your  folly  in  running  away  from  me  she  would  never 
have  caught  it.  If  she  dies  the  blame  will  rest  en 
tirely  with  you." 

But  I  scarcely  heard  him.  The  knowledge  that 
my  darling  was  the  victim  of  the  scourge  that  was 
ravaging  all  Europe  drove  me  back  against  the  wall 
faint  and  speechless  with  terror.  "  If  she  dies,"  he 
had  said,  and  the  words  rang  in  my  ears  like  a  funeral 
knell.  But  she  should  not  die.  If  any  power  in  the 
world  could  save  her,  it  should  be  found. 

"What  can  I  do?"  I  whispered  hoarsely.  "For 
pity's  sake  let  me  help  in  some  way.  She  must  not 
die,  she  shall  not  die!  " 

"  In  that  case  you  had  better  bestir  yourself,''* 
he  said.  "  There  is  but  one  remedy,  and  that  we 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  243 

must  employ.  Had  it  not  been  for  your  folly  I 
should  have  it  with  me  now.  As  it  is,  you  must  go 
out  and  search  the  town  for  it.  Give  me  writing 
materials." 

These  were  on  a  neighbouring  table,  and  when 
I  had  put  them  before  him  he  seized  the  pen  and 
scrawled  something  upon  a  sheet  of  notepaper,  then 
folding  it,  he  handed  it  to  me.t 

"  Take  that  with  all  speed  to  a  chemist,"  he  said. 
"  Tell  him  to  be  particularly  careful  that  the  drugs 
are  fresh,  and  bring  it  back  with  you  as  soon  as  you 
can.  In  all  probability  you  will  have  a  difficulty  in 
procuring  it,  but  you  must  do  so  somewhere.  Eest 
assured  of  this,  that  if  she  does  not  receive  it  within 
an  hour  nothing  can  possibly  save  her." 

"  I  will  be  back  in  less  than  half  that  time,"  I 
answered,  and  hastened  from  the  room. 

From  a  man  in  the  street  I  inquired  the  address 
of  the  nearest  chemist,  and,  as  soon  as  he  had  di 
rected  me,  hastened  thither  as  fast  as  my  legs  could 
carry  me.  Entering  the  shop,  I  threw  the  prescrip 
tion  upon  the  counter,  and  in  my  impatience  could 
have  struck  the  man  for  his  slowness  in  picking  it 
up.  If  his  life  had  depended  upon  his  deciphering 
it  properly  he  could  not  have  taken  longer  to  read 
it.  Before  he  had  got  to  the  end  of  it  my  impatience 
had  reached  boiling  heat. 

"  Come,  come,"  I  said,  "  are  you  going  to  make 
it  up  or  not?  It  is  for  an  urgent  case,  and  I  have 
wasted  ten  minutes  already." 

The  man  glanced  at  the  paper  again,  smoothed 
it  out  between  his  fat  fingers,  and  shook  his  head 
until  I  thought  his  glasses  would  have  dropped  from 
his  nose. 

"  I  can  not  do  it,"  he  said  at  length.     "  Two  of 


244  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

the  drugs  I  do  not  keep  in  stock.  Indeed,  I  do  not 
know  that  I  ever  saw  another  prescription  like  it." 

"  Why  did  you  not  say  so  at  once  ?  "  I  cried  an 
grily,  and  snatching  the  paper  from  his  hand,  I 
dashed  madly  out  and  along  the  pavement.  At  the 
end  of  the  street  was  another  shop,  which  I  entered. 
On  the  door  it  was  set  forth  that  English,  French 
and  German  were  sppken  there.  I  was  not  going 
to  risk  a  waste  of  time  on  cither  of  the  two  first,  how 
ever,  but  opened  upon  the  man  in  his  own  language. 
He  was  very  small,  with  an  unwholesome  complex 
ion,  and  was  the  possessor  of  a  nose  large  enough 
to  have  entitled  him  to  the  warmest  esteem  of  the 
great  Napoleon.  He  took  the  prescription,  read  it 
through  in  a  quarter  of  the  time  taken  by  the  other 
man,  and  then  retired  behind  his  screen.  Scarcely 
able  to  contain  my  delight  at  having  at  last  been 
successful,  I  curbed  my  impatience  as  well  as  I  could, 
examined  all  the  articles  displayed  in  the  glass  case 
upon  the  counter,  fidgeted  nervously  with  the  india- 
rubber  change  mat,  and  when,  at  the  end  of  several 
minutes,  he  had  not  made  it  up,  was  only  prevented 
from  going  in  search  of  him  by  his  appearance  before 
me  once  more. 

"  I  am  exceedingly  sorry  to  say,"  he  began,  and 
directly  he  opened  his  mouth  I  knew  that  some  fresh 
misfortune  was  in  store  for  me,  "  that  I  can  not  make 
up  the  prescription  for  you  at  all.  Of  one  of  the 
drugs  I  remember  once  reading,  but  of  the  other  I 
have  never  even  heard.  However,  if— 

But  before  he  could  utter  another  word  I  had 
seized  the  paper  and  was  out  of  the  shop.  This  was 
the  second  time  I  had  been  fooled,  and  upward  of 
half  an  hour,  thirty  precious  minutes,  had  been 
wasted.  Even  then  Valerie  might  be  dying,  and  I 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  245 

was  powerless  to  save  her.  Never  in  my  life  before 
had  time  seemed  so  precious.  I  stopped  a  passer-by 
and  inquired  the  direction  of  the  nearest  chemist.  He 
referred  me  to  the  shop  I  had  just  left;  I  stopped 
another,  but  he  confessed  himself  a  stranger  in  the 
city.  At  last,  at  my  wit's  end  to  know  what  to  do, 
finding  myself  before  the  office  of  the  steamship  com 
pany  I  had  visited  that  afternoon,  I  determined  to 
go  inside  and  make  inquiries. 

To  my  surprise,  in  place  of  the  half  dozen  clerks 
who  had  stared  at  me  only  a  few  hours  before,  I 
found  but  one  man,  and  before  he  had  opened  his 
lips  I  realized  that  he  was  drunk. 

"  Ha,  ha!  "  he  said,  with  a  burst  of  tipsy  laughter, 
"  so  you  have  come  back  again,  my  friend  ?  Want 
to  get  a  boat  to  take  you  to  England,  I  suppose.  Oh, 
of  course  you  do.  We  know  all  about  that.  We're 
not  as  blind,  I  mean  as  blind  drunk,  as  you  suppose." 

With  that  he  lurched  against  the  desk,  and  can 
noned  off  it  on  to  me.  "Then,  having  reached  that 
stage  of  inebriation  when  music  becomes  a  necessity, 
he  leant  against  the  wall  and  burst  into  song: — 

Drink  to  me  only  with  thine  eyes, 
And  I  will  pledge  with  mine, 
Or  leave  a  kiss  within  .  .  . 

He  had  got  no  farther  when  I  took  him  by  the 
collar,  and  pushing  him  back  against  the  wall, 
bumped  his  head  against  it  until  it  is  a  wonder  I 
did  not  fracture  his  skull. 

"Hold  your  tongue,  you  drunken  fool!"  I  said, 
feeling  as  if  I  could  kill  him  where  he  stood,  "  and 
tell  me  where  the  man  is  who  attended  to  me  this 
afternoon." 

The  energy  with  which  I   had  administered  the 


246  PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN. 

punishment  must  have  somewhat  sobered  the  fellow, 
for  he  pulled  himself  together,  and  rubbing  the  back 
of  his  head  with  his  hand  asked  me  if  I  had  heard 
the  news. 

"  I  have  heard  nothing,"  I  cried.  "  What  news 
do  you  mean?  " 

"  Why,  that  the  man  you  spoke  to  this  afternoon 
is  dead.  He  died  of  the  plague  within  an  hour  after 
you  were  here,  rolling  on  the  floor,  and  making  an 
awful  mess  of  things.  Then  all  the  other  fellows 
ran  away.  They  didn't  know  there  was  a  bottle  and 
a  half  of  brandy  in  the  cupboard  in  the  manager's 
room,  but,  bless  your  heart,  I  did,  and  now  I'm  not 
afraid  of  the  plague.  Don't  you  believe  it!  " 

"Dead?"  I  cried,  for  I  could  scarcely  credit  that 
what  he  told  me  could  be  true.  The  man  had  seemed 
so  well  when  I  had  seen  him  only  a  few  hours  before. 
However,  I  had  no  time  to  think  of  him. 

"  I  want  a  chemist,"  I  cried.  "  I  must  find  one 
at  once.  Can  you  give  me  the  address  of  one?  " 

"  The  first  turning  to  the  left,"  he  cried,  "  and 
the  third  shop  on  the  right;  Dittmer  is  the  name. 
But  I  say,  you're  looking  precious  white  about  the 
gills.  Though  you  did  treat  me  badly  just  now,  I 
don't  bear  any  malice,  so  you  can  have  a  drop  of  this 
if  you  like.  There's  enough  here  for  two  of  us.  You 
won't?  Well,  then,  I  will.  A  short  life  and  a  merry 
one's  my  motto,  and  here's  to  you,  my  buck." 

Before  he  could  have  half  filled  his  glass  I  had 
passed  out  of  the  office  and  was  in  the  street  he  had 
mentioned.  Drunk  as  he  was,  his  information  proved 
correct,  and  a  chemist's  shop,  with  the  name  of  Ditt 
mer  over  the  door,  was  the  third  house  on  the  right 
hand  side.  I  entered  and  handed  the  prescription  to 
the  venerable-looking  man  I  found  behind  the  counter. 


PHAEOS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  247 

"  I  am  afraid  you  will  have  some  difficulty  in  get 
ting  this  made'  up,"  he  said  after  he  had  read  it. 
"  Two  of  the  drugs  are  not  in  common  use,  and  per 
sonally  I  do  not  keep  them.  Is  the  case  an  urgent 
one?" 

"  It's  a  matter  of  life  and  death,"  I  answered. 
"  All  my  happiness  in  life  depends  upon  it.  If  you 
can  not  help  me,  can  you  direct  me  to  any  one  who 
will?  I  assure  you  there  is  not  a  moment  to  be  lost." 

Evidently  the  man  was  touched  by  my  anxiety. 
At  any  rate  he  went  out  of  his  way  to  do  a  kindly 
action,  for  which  no  amount  of  gratitude  on  my  part 
will  ever  be  able  to  repay  him. 

"  I  do  not  know  anything  about  the  merits  of  the 
prescription,"  he  said,  "  but  if  these  two  drugs  are 
necessary,  I  don't  mind  telling  you  that  I  think  I 
know  where  I  can  procure  them.  I  have  an  old  friend, 
a  quack,  so  the  other  chemists  call  him,  who  is  always 
trying  experiments.  It  is  within  the  bounds  of  possi 
bility  he  may  have  them.  If  you  will  wait  here  for  a 
few  minutes  I'll  run  up  to  his  house  and  see.  It  is 
only  a  few  doors  from  here,  and  he  is  always  at  home 
at  this  hour." 

"  I  will  await  only  too  willingly,"  I  answered  ear 
nestly.  "Heaven  grant  you  may  be  successful!" 

He  said  no  more  but  ran  out  of  the  shop.  While 
he  was  gone  I  paced  up  and  down  in  a  fever  of  impa 
tience.  Every  minute  seemed  an  hour,  and  as  I  looked 
at  my  watch  and  realized  that  if  I  wished  to  get  back 
to  the  hotel  within  the  time  specified  by  Pharos  I  had 
only  ten  minutes  in  which  to  do  it,  I  felt  as  if  my 
heart  would  stop  beating.  In  reality  the  man  was 
not  gone  five  minutes,  and  when  he  burst  into  the 
shop  again  he  waved  two  bottles  triumphantly  above 
his  head. 


248  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

"  There's  not  another  man  in  Hamburg  could  have 
got  them!  "  he  cried  with  justifiable  pride.  "  Now  I 
can  make  it  up  for  you." 

Five  minutes  later  he  handed  the  prescription  to 
me. 

"  I  shall  never  he  able  to  thank  you  sufficiently 
for  your  kindness,"  I  said  as  I  took  it.  "  If  I  can  get 
back  with  it  in  time  you  will  have  saved  a  life  that  I 
love  more  than  my  own.  I  do  not  know  how  to  re 
ward  you,  but  if  you  will  accept  this  and  wear  it  as 
a  souvenir  of  the  service  you  have  rendered  me,  I  hope 
you  will  do  so." 

So  saying,  I  took  from  my  pocket  my  gold  watch 
and  chain  and  handed  them  across  the  counter  to 
him.  Then,  without  waiting  for  an  expression  of  his 
gratitude,  I  passed  into  the  street  and,  hailing  a  cab, 
bade  the  man  drive  me  as  fast  as  his  horse  could  go 
to  my  hotel. 

Reaching  it,  I  paid  him  with  the  first  coin  I  took 
from  my  pocket  and  ran  upstairs.  What  my  feelings 
were  as  I  approached  the  room  where  I  had  left  Pharos 
and  Valerie  together  I  must  leave  you  to  imagine. 
With  a  heart  beating  like  a  sledge-hammer  I  softly 
turned  the  handle  of  the  door  and  stole  in,  scarcely 
daring  to  look  in  the  direction  of  the  sofa.  However, 
I  might  have  spared  myself  the  pain,  for  neither 
Pharos  nor  Valerie  were  there,  but  just  as  I  was  won 
dering  what  could  have  become  of  them  the  former 
entered  the  room. 

"  Have  you  got  it?  "  he  inquired  eagerly,  his  voice 
trembling  with  emotion. 

"  I  have,"  I  answered,  and  handed  him  the  medi 
cine.  "  Here  it  is.  At  one  time  I  began  to  think  I 
should  have  to  come  back  without  it." 

"  Another  ten  minutes  and  I  can  promise  you  you 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  249 

would  have  been  too  late,"  he  answered.  "  I  have 
carried  her  to  her  room  and  placed  her  upon  her  bed. 
You  must1  remain  here  and  endeavour  to  prevent  any 
one  suspecting  what  is  the  matter.  If  your  medicine 
proves  what  I  hope,  she  should  be  sleeping  quietly  in 
an  hour's  time,  and  on  the  high  road  to  recovery  in 
two.  But  remember  this,  if  the  people  in  this  house 
receive  any  hint  of  what  she  is  suffering  from  they 
will  remove  her  to  the  hospital  at  once,  and  in  that 
case,  I  pledge  you  my  word,  she  will  be  dead  before 
morning." 

"  You  need  have  no  fear  on  that  score,"  I  an 
swered.  "  They  shall  hear  nothing  from  me." 

Thereupon  he  took  his  departure,  and  for  the 
next  hour  I  remained  where  I  was,  deriving  what  sat 
isfaction  I  could  from  the  assurance  he  had  given 
me. 

It  was  quite  dark  by  the  time  Pharos  returned. 

"  What  news  do  you  bring?  "  I  inquired  anxiously. 
"Why  do  you  not  tell  me  at  once  how  she  is?  Can 
you  not  see  how  I  am  suffering?  " 

"  The  crisis  is  past,"  he.  replied,  "  and  she  will  do 
now.  But  it  was  a  very  narrow  escape.  If  I  had  not 
followed  you  by  the  next  train,  in  what  sort  of  posi 
tion  would  you  be  at  this  minute  ?  " 

"  I  should  not  be  alive,"  I  answered.  "  If  her  life 
had  been  taken  it  would  have  killed  me." 

"  You  are  very  easily  killed,  I  have  no  doubt," 
was  his  sneering  rejoinder.  "  At  the  same  time,  take 
my  advice  and  let  this  be  a  lesson  to  you  not  to  try 
escaping  from  me  again.  You  have  been  pretty  se 
verely  punished.  On  another  occasion  your  fate  may 
be  even  worse." 

I  gazed  at  him  in  pretended  surprise. 

"  I  do  not  understand  your  meaning  when  you 


250  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

say  that  I  escaped  from  you,"  I  said,  with  an  air  of 
innocence  that  would  not  have  deceived  any  one. 
"  Why  should  I  desire  to  do  so  ?  If  you  refer  to  my 
leaving  Prague  so  suddenly,  please  remember  that  I 
warned  you  the  night  before  that  it  would  be  neces 
sary  for  me  to  leave  at  once  for  England.  I  presume 
I  am  at  liberty  to  act  as  I  please?" 

"  1  am  not  in  the  humour  just  now  to  argue  the 
question  with  you/'  he  answered,  "  but  if  you  will 
be  advised  by  me,  my  dear  Forrester,  you  will,  for  the 
future,  consult  me  with  regard  to  your  movements. 
My  ward  has  given  you  her  experiences  and  has  told 
you  with  what  result,  she,  on  two  occasions,  attempted 
to  leave  me.  At  your  instigation  she  has  tried  a  third 
time,  and  you  see  how  that  attempt  has  turned  out. 
You  little  thought  that  when  you  were  dining  so 
comfortably  in  Herr  Schuncke's  restaurant  in  Berlin, 
last  night,  that  I  was  watching  your  repast." 

"  I  do  not  believe  it,"  I  answered  angrily.  "  It 
is  impossible  that  you  could  have  been  there,  if  only 
for  the  reason  that  there  was  no  train  to  bring  you." 

He  smiled  pityingly  upon  me. 

"  I  am  beginning  to  think,  my  friend,"  he  said, 
"  that  you  are  not  so  clever  as  I  at  first  supposed 
you.  I  wonder  what  you  would  say  if  I  were  to  tell 
you,  that  while  Valerie  was  playing  for  Schuncke's 
entertainment,  I,  who  was  travelling  along  between 
Prague  and  Dresden,  was  an  interested  spectator  of 
the  whole  scene.  Shall  I  describe  to  you  the  arrange 
ment  of  the  room?  Shall  I  tell  you  how  Schuncke 
leant  against  the  wall  near  the  door,  his  hands  folded 
before  him,  and  his  great  head  nodding?  How  you 
sat  at  the  table  near  the  fireplace,  building  castles  in 
the  air,  upon  which,  by  the  way,  I  offer  you  my  felici 
tations?  while  Valerie,  standing  on  the  other  side  of 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  251 

the  room,  made  music  for  you  all?  It  is  strange  that 
I  should  know  all  that,  particularly  as  I  did  not  do 
myself  the  honour  of  calling  at  the  restaurant,  is  it 
not?" 

I  made  no  answer.  To  tell  the  truth,  I  did  not 
know  what  to  say.  Pharos  chuckled  as  he  observed 
my  embarrassment. 

"  You  will  learn  wisdom  before  I  have  done  with 
you,"  he  continued.  "  However,  that  is  enough  on 
the  subject  just  now.  Let  us  talk  about  something 
else.  There  is  much  to  be  done  to-night,  and  I  shall 
require  your  assistance." 

The  variety  of  emotions  to  which  I  had  been  sub 
jected  that  day  had  exercised  such  an  effect  upon  me 
that,  by  this  time,  I  was  scarcely  capable  of  even  a 
show  of  resistance.  In  my  own  mind  I  felt  morally 
certain  that  when  he  said  there  was  much  to  do  he 
meant  the  accomplishment  of  some  new  villainy,  but 
what  form  it  was  destined  to  take  I  neither  knew  nor 
cared.  He  had  got  me  so  completely  under  his  in 
fluence  by  this  time  that  he  could  make  me  do  exactly 
as  he  required. 

"What  is  it  you  are  going  to  do?"  I  inquired, 
more  because  I  saw  that  he  expected  me  to  say  some 
thing  than  for  any  other  reason. 

"  I  am  going  to  get  us  all  out  of  this  place  and 
back  to  England  without  loss  of  time,"  he  answered, 
in  a  tone  of  triumph. 

"  To  England?  "  I  replied,  and  the  hideous  mock 
ery  of  his  speech  made  me  laugh  aloud;  as  bitter  a 
laugh  surely  as  was  ever  uttered  by  mortal  man. 
"  You  accused  me  just  now  of  not  being  as  clever 
as  you  had  at  first  supposed  me.  I  return  the  com 
pliment.  You  have  evidently  not  heard  that  every 
route  into  England  is  blocked." 


252  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

"  No  route  is  ever  blocked  to  me,"  he  answered. 
t:  I  leave  for  London  at  midnight  to-night,  and  Va 
lerie  accompanies  me." 

"  You  must  be  mad  to  think  of  such  a  thing!  " 
I  cried,  Valerie's  name  producing  a  sudden  change 
in  my  behaviour  toward  him.  "  How  can  she  pos 
sibly  do  so?  Remember  how  ill  she  is.  It  would  be 
little  short  of  murder  to  move  her." 

"  It  will  be  nothing  of  the  kind,"  he  replied. 
"  When  I  want  her  she  will  rise  from  her  bed  and 
walk  down  stairs  and  go  wherever  I  bid  her,  looking 
to  all  appearances  as  well  and  strong  as  any  other 
woman  in  this  town." 

"  By  all  means  let  us  go  to  England  then,"  I  said, 
clutching  eagerly  at  the  hope  he  held  out.  "  Though 
how  you  are  going  to  manage  it  I  do  not  know." 

"  You  shall  see,"  he  said.  "  Eemember,  you  have 
never  known  me  fail.  If  you  would  bear  that  fact 
in  mind  a  little  oftener,  you  would  come  nearer  a 
better  appreciation  of  my  character  than  that  to 
which  you  have  so  far  attained.  However,  while  we 
are  wasting  time  talking,  it  is  getting  late,  and  you 
have  not  dined  yet.  I  suppose  it  is  necessary  for 
you  to  eat,  otherwise  you  will  be  incapable  of  any 
thing?  " 

"  I  could  not  touch  a  thing,"  I  answered  in  reply 
to  his  gibe.  "  You  will  not  therefore  be  hindered  by 
me.  But  how  can  we  go  out  and  leave  Valerie  behind 
in  her  present  condition?  " 

"  I  shall  give  her  an  opiate,"  he  said,  "  which  will 
keep  her  sleeping  quietly  for  the  next  three  or  four 
hours.  When  she  wakes  she  will  be  capable  of  any 
thing." 

He  thereupon  left  the  room,  and  upward  of  a  quar 
ter  of  an  hour  elapsed  before  he  rejoined  me.  When 


PHAROS, -THE  EGYPTIAN.  253 

he  did,  I  noticed  that  he  was  dressed  for  going  out. 
I  immediately  picked  up  my  hat  and  stick  and  fol 
lowed  him  down  stairs.  Once  in  the  street,  Pharos 
started  off  at  a  smart  pace,  and  as  soon  as  he  reached 
the  corner,  near  the  first  chemist's  shop  I  had  visited 
that  afternoon,  turned  sharply  to  his  left,  crossed 
the  road,  and  entered  a  bye  lane.  The  remainder 
of  the  journey  was  of  too  tortuous  a  description  for 
me  to  hope  to  give  you  any  detailed  account  of  it. 
Up  one  back  street  and  down  another,  over  innumer 
able  canals,  we  made  our  way,  until  at  last -we  reached 
a  quarter  of  the  town  totally  distinct  from  that  in 
which  our  hotel  was  situated.  During  the  walk 
Pharos  scarcely  spoke,  but  times  out  of  number  he 
threw  angry  glances  at  me  over  his  shoulder  when 
I  dropped  a  little  behind.  Indeed,  he  walked  at  such 
a  pace,  old  man  though  he  was,  that  at  times  I  found 
it  extremely  difficult  to  keep  up  with  him.  At  last, 
entering  a  dirtier  street  than  any  we  had  so  far  en 
countered,  he  stopped  short  befort  a  tall,  austere 
building  which  from  a  variety  of  evidences  had  seen 
better  clays,  and  might  a  couple  of  centuries  or  so 
before  have  been  the  residence  of  some  well-to-do 
merchant.  Mounting  the  steps,  he  rapped  sharply 
upon  the  door  with  his  stick.  A  sound  of  laughter 
and  the  voice  of  a  man  singing  reached  us  from  with 
in,  and  when  Pharos  knocked  a  second  time  the  rapid 
ity  of  the  blows  and  the  strength  with  which  they 
were  administered  bore  witness  to  his  impatience.  At 
last,  however,  the  door  was  opened  a  few  inches  by 
a  man  who  looked  out  and  inquired  with  an  oath 
what  we  wanted. 

"  I  have  come  in  search  of  Captain  Wisemann," 
my  companion  answered.    "  If  he  is  at  home,  tell  him 
that  if  he  does  not  receive  Monsieur  Pharos  at  once, 
17 


254:  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

he  knows  the  penalty.  Carry  him  that  message  and 
be  quick  about  it.  1  have  waited  at  this  door  quite 
long  enough." 

With  an  unintelligible  grunt  the  man  departed 
on  his  errand,  and  it  was  plain  that  the  news  he 
brought  had  a  sobering  effect  upon  the  company  with 
in,  for  a  sudden  silence  prevailed,  and  a  few  moments 
later  he  returned  and  begged  us  with  comparative 
civility  to  enter.  We  did  so,  and  followed  our  guide 
along  a  filthy  passage  to  a  room  at  the  back  of  the 
dwelling,  a  magnificent  chamber,  panelled  with  old 
oak,  every  inch  of  which  spoke  of  an  age  and  an  art 
long  since  dead.  The  dirt  of  the  place,  however, 
passes  description.  Under  the  regime  of  the  present 
owner,  it  seemed  doubtful  whether  any  attempt  had 
ever  been  made  to  clean  it.  The  ceiling  was  begrimed 
with  smoke  and  dirt,  cobwebs  not  only  decorated  the 
cornices  and  the  carved  figures  on  the  chimneypiece, 
but  much  of  the  panelling  on  the  walls  themselves 
was  cracked  and  broken.  On  the  table  in  the  centre 
of  the  room  was  all  that  remained  of  a  repast,  and  at 
this  Pharos  sniffed  disdainfully. 

"  A  pig  he  was  when  I  first  met  him,  and  a  pig 
he  will  remain  to  the  day  of  his  death,"  said  Pharos, 
by  way  of  introducing  the  man  upon  whom  we  were 
calling.  "  However,  a  pig  is  at  all  times  a  useful  ani 
mal,  and  so  is  Wisemann." 

At  this  moment  the  man  of  whom  he  had  spoken 
in  these  scarcely  complimentary  terms  entered  the 
room. 

I  have  elsewhere  described  the  Arab  who  met 
Pharos  at  the  Pyramids,  on  the  occasion  of  my  mo 
mentous  visit,  as  being  the  biggest  man  I  had  ever 
beheld  in  my  life,  and  so  he  was,  for  at  that  time 
I  had  not  the  pleasure  of  Herman  WTisemann's  ac- 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  255 

quaintance.  Since  I  have  seen  him,  however,  the  Arah 
has,  as  the  Americans  say,  been  compelled  to  take  a 
back  place.  Wisemann  must  have  stood  six-foot  nine 
if  an  inch,  and  in  addition  to  his  height  his  frame 
was  correspondingly  large.  Though  I  am  not  short 
myself,  he  towered  above  me  by  fully  a  head.  To  add 
to  the  strangeness  of  his  appearance,  he  was  the  pos 
sessor  of  a  pair  of  enormous  ears  that  stood  out  at 
right  angles  to  his  head.  That  he  was  afraid  of 
Pharos  was  shown  by  the  sheepish  fashion  in  which 
he  entered  the  room. 

"  Three  years  ago  I  called  upon  you,"  said  Pharos, 
"  and  was  kept  waiting  while  you  fuddled  yourself 
with  your  country's  abominable  liquor.  To-night  I 
have  been  favoured  with  a  repetition  of  that  offence. 
On  the  third  occasion  I  shall  deal  with  you  more  sum 
marily.  Remember  that!  Now  to  business." 

"  If  Herr  Pharos  will  condescend  to  tell  me  what 
it  is  he  requires  of  me,"  said  the  giant,  "  he  may  be 
sure  I  will  do  my  best  to  please  him." 

"  You  had  better  not  do  otherwise,  my  friend," 
snapped  Pharos  with  his  usual  acidity.  "  Perhaps 
you  remember  that  on  one  occasion  you  made  a  mis 
take.  Don't  do  so  again.  Now  listen  to  me.  I  am 
anxious  to  be  in  London  on  Friday  morning  next. 
You  will,  therefore,  find  me  a  fast  vessel,  and  she 
must  leave  to-night  at  midnight." 

"  But  it  is  impossible  to  get  into  England,"  re 
plied  the  man.  "  Since  the  outbreak  of  the  plague 
the  quarantine  laws  have  been  stricter  even  than 
they  were  before.  Heinrich  Clausen  tried  last  week 
and  had  to  return  unsuccessful." 

"  How  does  Heinrich  Clausen's  failure  affect  me  ?  " 
asked  Pharos.  "  I  shall  not  fail,  whatever  any  one 
else  mav  do.  Your  friend  Clausen  should  have  known 


256  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

better  than  to  go  to  London.  Land  me  on  the  coast 
of  Norfolk  and  that  will  do." 

"  But  it  is  eight  o'clock  now,"  the  man  replied, 
"  and  you  say  you  wish  to  start  at  midnight.  How 
am  I  to  arrange  it  before  then  ?  " 

"  How  you  are  to  do  it  does  not  concern  me,"  said 
Pharos.  "  All  I  know  is  that  you  must  do  it.  Other 
wise,  well  then  the  punishment  will  be  the  same  as 
before,  only  on  this  occasion  a  little  more  severe.  You 
can  send  me  word  in  an  hour's  time,  how,  and  where, 
we  are  to  board  her.  I  am  staying  at  the  Continental, 
and  my  number  is  eighty-three." 

The  man  had  evidently  abandoned  all  thought 
of  refusing. 

"  And  the  remuneration  ?  "  he  inquired.  "  The 
risk  will  have  to  be  taken  into  account." 

"  The  price  will  be  the  same  as  on  the  last  occa 
sion,  provided  he  lands  us  safely  at  the  place  which 
I  shall  name  to  him  as  soon  as  we  are  on  board.  But 
only  half  that  amount,  if,  by  any  carelessness  on  his 
part,  the  scheme  is  unsuccessful.  I  shall  expect  to 
hear  from  you  within  an  hour.  Be  careful,  however, 
that  your  messenger  does  not  arouse  any  suspicions  at 
the  hotel.  We  do  not  want  the  English  authorities 
put  upon  their  guard." 

Wisemann  accompanied  us  to  the  door,  and  bowed 
us  out.  After  that  we  returned  as  quickly  as  possible 
to  our  hotel.  My  delight  may  be  imagined  on  hear 
ing  from  Pharos,  who  visited  her  as  soon  as  he  re 
turned,  that  throughout  the  time  we  had  been  absent 
Valerie  had  been  sleeping  peacefully,  and  was  now 
making  as  good  progress  toward  recovery  as  he  could 
desire. 

At  nine  o'clock,  almost  punctual  to  the  minute, 
a  note  was  brought  to  Pharos.  He  opened  it,  and 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  257 

having  read  it,  informed  the  man  that  there  was  no 
answer. 

"  Wisemann  has  arranged  everything,"  he  said. 
"  The  steamer  Margrave  of  Brandenburg  will  be  ready 
to  pick  us  up  in  the  river  at  the  hour  appointed,  and 
in  fifty  hours  from  the  first  revolution  of  her  screw 
we  should  be  in  England." 

"And  what  would  happen  then?"  I  asked  my 
self. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

WHEX  the  sun  rose  on  the  following  morning,  noth 
ing  but  green  seas  surrounded  us,  and  the  Margrave  of 
Brandenburg  was  doing  her  best  to  live  up  to  the  repu 
tation  I  soon  discovered  she  possessed — namely,  of  be 
ing  the  worst  roller  in  the  Xorth  Sea  trade.  She  was 
by  no  means  a  large  craft,  nor,  as  I  soon  remarked,  was 
she  particularly  well  found;  she  belonged  to  a  firm  of 
Altona  Jews,  and,  as  the  captain  was  wont  to  say  pa 
thetically,  "  The  only  thing  they  did  not  grudge  him 
was  the  right  to  do  as  much  work  on  the  smallest 
amount  of  pay  on  which  it  was  possible  for  a  man  to 
keep  body  and  soul  together."  The  captain's  nation 
ality  was  more  difficult  to  determine  than  that  of  his 
employers.  He  called  himself  an  Englishman,  but,  un 
fortunately  for  this  assertion,  his  accent  belied  him. 
In  addition  to  English,  he  spoke  German  like  a  French 
man,  and  French  like  a  German,  was  equally  at  home 
in  Russian — which,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  is  not  a  lan 
guage  for  the  amateur — Italian  also,  while  in  a  moment 
of  confidence  he  found  occasion  to  inform  me  that  he 
had  served  for  three  years  on  board  a  Spanish  troop 
ship,  an  assertion  which  would  lead  one  to  suppose  that 
he  was  conversant  with  that  language  also.  In  point 
of  fact,  he  was  one  of  that  curious  class  of  sailor  com 
monly  met  with  outside  the  British  mercantile  marine, 
who,  if  you  asked  them,  would  find  it  difficult  to  tell 
you  where  they  were  born,  and  who  have  been  so  long 
258 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  259 

at  sea  that  one  country  has  become  like  another  to 
them,  provided  the  liquor  is  good  and  they  can  scrape 
together  a  sufficient  living  out  of  it;  and  one  flag  is 
equal  to  another,  provided,  of  course,  it  is  not  Chinese, 
which  as  everyone  knows  is  no  use  to  anyone,  not  even 
to  themselves. 

For  the  week,  and  more  particularly  for  the  forty- 
eight  hours  preceding  our  departure  from  Hamburg, 
I  had  been  living  in  such  a  state  of  nervous  tension 
that,  as  soon  as  we  were  once  clear  of  the  land,  the 
reaction  that  set  in  was  almost  more  than  I  could  bear. 
The  prophecy  Pharos  had  given  utterance  to  regard 
ing  Valerie  had  been  verified  to  the  letter.  At  the  hour 
appointed  for  leaving,  she  had  descended  from  her 
room,  looking  at  first  glance  as  healthy  and  strong  as  I 
had  ever  seen  her.  It  was  only  when  I  came  close  up 
to  her  and  could  catch  a  glimpse  of  her  eyes  that  I 
saw  how  dilated  the  pupils  were  and  how  unnatural 
was  the  light  they  contained.  From  the  moment  she 
appeared  upon  the  stairs,  throughout  the  drive  through 
the  city,  and  until  we  reached  the  steamer,  not  a  word 
crossed  her  lips,  and  it  was  only  when  we  were  in  the 
saloon  and  Pharos  bade  her  retire  to  her  cabin,  that 
she  found  her  voice  and  spoke  to  me. 

"  Good  night,"  she  said  very  slowly,  as  if  it  hurt 
her  even  to  speak  the  words,  and  then  added  with  in 
finite  sadness,  "  You  have  been  very  good  and  patient 
with  me,  Cyril."  Having  said  this,  she  disappeared 
into  her  cabin,  and  I  saw  no  more  of  her  that  night. 

As  I  remarked  at  the  commencement  of  this  chap 
ter,  the  sun  when  it  rose  next  morning  found  us  in 
open  water.  Not  a  trace  of  the  land  was  to  be  seen,  and 
you  may  be  sure  I  was  not  sorry  to  be  away  from  it. 
Taking  one  thing  with  another,  I  had  not  spent  a 
pleasant  night.  I  had  tried  sleeping  in  my  bunk,  but 


260  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

without  success.  It  was  filthy  in  the  extreme,  and  so 
small  that  I  found  it  quite  impossible  to  stretch  my 
self  out  at  full  length.  Accordingly,  I  had  tumbled 
and  tossed  in  it,  tried  every  position,  and  had  at  last 
vacated  it  in  favour  of  the  settee  in  the  saloon,  where 
I  had  remained  until  the  first  signs  of  day  showed 
themselves.  Then  I  went  on  deck  to  find  a  beautiful 
pearl-grey  dawn,  in  which  the  steamer  seemed  a  speck 
on  the  immensity  of  sea.  I  tried  to  promenade  the 
deck,  only  to  find  that  the  vessel's  rolling  rendered  it 
extremely  difficult,  if  not  well-nigh  impossible.  I  ac 
cordingly  made  my  way  to  a  sheltered  spot,  just  abaft 
the  saloon  entrance,  and,  seating  myself  on  the  sk}^- 
light,  endeavoured  to  collect  my  thoughts.  It  was  a 
more  difficult  matter  than  would  at  first  be  supposed, 
for  the  reason  that  the  side  issues  involved  were  so 
many,  and  also  so  important,  and  I  found  myself  being 
continually  drawn  from  the  main  point  at  issue,  which 
was  the  question  as  to  what  was  to  become  of  Valerie 
and  myself  since  we  found  it  impossible  to  escape  from 
Pharos.  How  the  latter  had  become  possessed  of  the 
secret  of  our  intention  to  escape  from  him  I  could  not 
imagine,  nor  could  I  understand  how  he  had  been  able 
to  pursue  and  capture  us  with  such  accuracy  and  de 
spatch.  As  it  had  turned  out,  it  was  just  as  well  that 
he  did  follow  us,  and  I  shivered  again  as  I  thought  of 
what  Valerie's  fate  might  have  been  had  he  not  come 
upon  the  scene  so  opportunely.  Of  one  thing  I  was 
quite  convinced,  in  spite  of  the  threats  he  had  used, 
and  that  was  that,  as  soon  as  we  reached  England.  I 
would  find  some  way — how  I  was  to  do  so  I  did  not  for 
the  moment  quite  realise — of  getting  the  woman  I 
loved  out  of  his  clutches,  this  time  for  good  and  all. 

I  breakfasted  that  morning  alone,  Valerie  being 
still  too  ill  to  leave  her  bunk,  while  Pharos,  as  usual, 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  261 

did  not  put  in  appearance  until  close  upon  midday. 
By  the  time  lie  did  so  the  sea  had  lost  much  of  its 
former  violence,  and  the  vessel  was,  in  consequence, 
making  better  progress.  How  I  longed  to  be  in  Eng 
land  no  one  can  have  any  idea.  The  events  of  the  last 
few  months,  if  they  had  done  nothing  else,  had  at  least 
deprived  me  of  my  taste  for  travel,  and  as  for  the  land 
of  Egypt,  the  liking  I  had  once  entertained  for  that 
country  had  given  place  to  a  hatred  that  was  as  vigor 
ous  as  I  had  deemed  the  other  sincere. 

I  have  already  said  that  it  was  midday  before  Pharos 
made  his  appearance  on  deck;  but  when  he  did,  so  far 
as  his  amiability  was  concerned,  he  would  have  been 
very  much  better  below.  Being  accustomed  by  this 
time  to  note  the  changes  in  his  manner,  it  did  not 
take  me  very  long  to  see  that  this  was  one  of  his  bad 
days.  For  this  reason  I  resolved  to  keep  out  of  his 
way  as  far  as  possible,  but  in  my  attempt  I  was  only 
partly  successful. 

"  In  thirty-eight  hours,  my  friend,"  he  said,  when 
he  had  found  me  out,  "  you  will  be  in  England  once 
more,  and  the  desire  .of  your  heart  will  be  gratified. 
You  should  be  grateful  to  me,  for  had  I  not  followed 
you  to  Hamburg,  it  is  quite  certain  you  would  still  be 
in  that  plague-ridden  city,  and  where  would  Valerie 
be?  Well,  Valerie  would  be —  But  there,  we  will 
have  no  more  of  those  little  escapades,  if  you  please, 
so  remember  that.  The  next  time  you  attempt  to  play 
me  false,  I  shall  know  how  to  deal  with  you.  All  things 
considered,  it  was  a  good  day  for  me  when  you  fell  in 
love  with  Valerie." 

"  What  do  you  mean?  "  I  asked,  for  I  neither  liked 
the  look  on  his  face  nor  the  way  he  spoke. 

"  I  mean  what  I  say,"  he  answered.  "  You  love 
Valerie,  and  she  loves  you;  but Well,  to  put  it 


262  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

mildly,  she  does  what  I  tell  her,  and  for  the  future  so 
must  you!  It  would  be  as  well,  perhaps,  if  you  would 
bear  that  fact  in  mind." 

I  rose  from  the  skylight  upon  which  I  had  been 
sitting  and  faced  him. 

"  Monsieur  Pharos/'  I  said,  holding  up  my  hand  in 
protest,  "  you  have  gone  quite  far  enough.  Let  me 
advise  you  to  think  twice  before  you  make  use  of  such 
threats  to  me.  I  do  not  understand  by  what  right  you 
speak  to  me  in  this  fashion." 

"  There  are  many  things  you  do  not  understand, 
and  at  present  it  is  not  my  intention  to  enlighten  you," 
he  answered,  with  consummate  coolness.  "  Only  re 
member  this — while  you  act  in  accordance  with  my 
wishes,  you  are  safe,  but  if  at  any  time  you  attempt 
to  thwart  me,  I  give  you  fair  warning  I  will  crush  you 
like  a  worm." 

So  saying,  he  darted  another  glance  at  me  full  of 
intense  malignity,  and  then  took  his  departure.  When 
he  had  gone  I  seated  myself  again  and  endeavoured  to 
solve  the  riddle  of  his  behaviour.  "Wliat  his  purpose 
could  be  in  keeping  me  with  him,  and  why  he  was 
always  threatening  me  with  punishment  if  I  did  not 
act  in  accordance  with  his  wishes,  were  two  questions 
I  tried  to  answer,  but  in  vain.  That  there  was  some 
thing  behind  it  all  which  boded  ill  for  myself,  I  felt 
morally  certain,  but  what  that  something  was  I  had 
yet  to  discover.  If  I  had  known  all,  I  wonder  what 
course  of  action  I  should  have  pursued. 

For  the  remainder  of  the  day  I  saw  nothing  of 
Pharos.  He  had  shut  himself  up  in  his  cabin  with  only 
the  monkey  for  company.  Towards  the  end  of  the 
afternoon,  however,  he  sent  for  the  captain,  and  they 
remained  closeted  together  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  t 
When  the  latter  appeared  again,  it  was  with  an  unusu- 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  263 

ally  white  face.  He  passed  me  on  the  companion- 
ladder,  and  from  the  light  I  saw  in  his  eyes  I  surmised 
that  Pharos  had  been  treating  him  to  a  sample  of  his 
ill-humour,  and  that  he  had  come  out  of  it  considerably 
scared.  Once  more  I  partook  of  the  evening  meal 
alone,  and,  as  I  was  by  this  time  not  only  thoroughly 
tired  of  my  own  company,  but  worn  out  with  anxiety 
and  continual  brooding  upon  one  subject,  I  sought  my 
couch  at  an  early  hour.  My  dreams  that  night  were 
far  from  good.  The  recollection  of  that  terrible  after 
noon  in  Hamburg,  when  Valerie  had  been  taken  ill, 
and  Pharos  had  so  unexpectedly  appeared  in  time  to 
save  her,  was  sufficient  to  wake  me  up  in  a  cold  sweat 
of  fear.  When  I  had  somewhat  recovered,  I  became 
aware  that  someone  was  knocking  on  my  cabin  door. 
To  my  surprise  it  proved  to  be  the  captain. 

"  What  is  the  matter?  "  I  inquired,  as  he  entered. 
"  What  brings  you  here?  " 

"  I  have  come  to  you  for  your  advice,"  he  said 
nervously,  as  he  fidgeted  with  his  cap.  "  I  can  tell 
you  we're  in  a  bad  way  aboard  this  ship." 

"  Why,  what  has  happened?  "  I  inquired,  sitting  up 
and  staring  at  his  white  face.  "  Have  we  met  with  an 
accident?" 

"  We  have,"  he  answered,  "  and  a  bad  one.  A  worse 
could  scarcely  have  befallen  us."  Then,  sinking  his 
voice  to  a  whisper,  he  added,  "  The  plague  has  broken 
out  aboard! " 

"The  plague!"  I  cried,  in  consternation.  "Do 
you  mean  it?  For  Heaven's  sake,  man,  be  sure  you  are 
not  making  a  mistake  before  you  say  such  a  thing!  " 

"  I  only  wish  I  were  not  sure,"  he  replied.  "  Un 
fortunately  there  is  no  getting  away  from  the  fact. 
The  plague's  upon  us,  sure  enough,  and,  what's  worse, 
I'm  afraid  it's  come  to  stay." 


264  PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN. 

"  How  many  cases  are  there?  "  I  asked,  "  and  when 
did  you  discover  it?  Tell  me  everything." 

"  We  found  it  out  early  this  morning,"  the  captain 
replied.  "  There  are  two  cases,  the  steward  aft  here, 
and  the  cook  for'ard.  The  steward  is  dead;  we  pitched 
him  overboard  just  before  I  came  down  to  you.  The 
cook  is  very  nearly  as  bad.  I  can  tell  you,  I  wish  I  was 
anywhere  but  where  I  am.  I've  got  a  wife  and  young 
sters  depending  on  me  at  home.  The  thing  spreads  like 
fire,  they  say,  and  poor  Reimann  was  as  well  as  you  are 
a  couple  of  hours  ago.  He  brought  me  a  cup  of  coffee 
and  a  biscuit  up  on  to  the  bridge  at  eight  bells,  and 
now  to  think  he's  overboard!  " 

The  captain  concluded  his  speech  with  a  groan, 
and  then  stood  watching  me  and  waiting  for  me  to 
speak. 

"  But  I  can't  understand  what  brings  you  to  me,"  I 
said.  "  I  don't  see  how  I  can  help  you." 

"  I  came  to  you  because  I  wanted  to  find  out  what 
I  had  better  do,"  he  returned.  "  I  thought  most  proba 
bly  you  would  be  able  to  advise  me,  and  I  didn't  want  to 
go  to  him."  Here  he  nodded  his  head  in  the  direction 
of  Pharos's  cabin.  "  If  you  could  only  have  heard  the 
way  he  bulliragged  me  yesterday  you  would  understand 
why.  If  I'd  been  a  dog  in  the  street  he  couldn't  have 
treated  me  worse,  and  all  because  I  was  unable  to  make 
the  boat  travel  twice  as  fast  as  her  engines  would  let 
her  go." 

"  But  I  don't  see  how  I'm  to  help  you  in  this  mat 
ter,"  I  said,  and  then  added,  with  what  could  only  have 
been  poor  comfort,  "  We  don't  know  who  may  be  the 
next  case." 

"  That's  the  worst  part  of  it,"  he  answered.  "  For 
all  we  can  tell  it  may  be  you,  and  it  might  be  me.  I 
suppose  you're  as  much  afraid  of  it  as  I  am." 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  265 

I  had  to  confess  that  I  was,  and  then  inquired  what 
means  he  proposed  to  adopt  for  stamping  it  out. 

"  I  don't  know  what  to  do,"  he  answered,  and  the 
words  were  scarcely  out  of  his  mouth  before  another 
rap  sounded  on  the  cabin  door.  He  opened  it  to  find 
a  deck  hand  standing  outside.  A  muttered  conversa 
tion  ensued  between  them,  after  which  the  captain, 
with  a  still  more  scared  look  upon  his  face,  returned 
to  me. 

"  It's  getting  worse,"  he  said.  "  The  chief  engi 
neer's  down  now,  and  the  bosun  has  sent  word  to  say 
he  don't  feel  well.  God  help  us  if  this  sort  of  thing  is 
going  to  continue!  Every  mother's  son  aboard  this 
ship  will  make  sure  he's  got  it,  and  then  who's  to  do 
the  work?  We  may  as  well  go  to  the  bottom  right  off." 

Trouble  was  indeed  pursuing  us.  It  seemed  as  if  I 
were  destined  to  get  safely  out  of  one  difficulty  only 
to  fall  into  another.  If  this  terrible  scourge  continued 
we  should  indeed  be  in  straits;  for  the  Continent  was 
barred  to  us  on  one  hand,  and  England  on  the  other, 
while  to  turn  her  head  and  put  back  to  Hamburg  was 
a  course  we  could  not  dream  of  adopting.  One  thing 
was  plain  to  me;  to  avoid  any  trouble  later  we  must 
inform  Pharos.  So,  advising  the  captain  to  separate 
those  who  had  contracted  the  disease  from  those  who 
were  still  well,  I  left  my  cabin  and  crossed  to  the 
further  side  of  the  saloon.  To  my  surprise  Pharos  re 
ceived  the  news  with  greater  equanimity  than  I  had 
expected  he  would  show. 

"  I  doubted  whether  we  should  escape  unscathed," 
he  said;  "  but  the  captain  deserves  to  die  of  it  himself 
for  not  having  informed  me  as  soon  as  the  first  man 
was  taken  ill.  However,  let  us  hope  it  is  not  too  late 
to  put  a  stop  to  it.  I  must  go  and  see  the  men,  and 
do  what  I  can  to  pull  them  round.  It  would  not  do  to 


2C6  PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN. 

have  a  breakdown  out  here  for  the  want  of  sufficient 
men  to  work  the  boat." 

So  saying  he  bade  me  leave  him  while  he  dressed, 
and  when  this  operation  was  completed,  departed  on 
his  errand,  while  I  returned  to  the  saloon.  I  had  not 
been  there  many  minutes  before  the  door  of  Valerie's 
cabin  opened  and  my  sweetheart  emerged.  I  sprang  to 
my  feet  with  a  cry  of  surprise  and  then  ran  forward 
to  greet  her.  Short  though  her  illness  had  been,  it  had 
effected  a  great  change  in  her  appearance,  but  since 
she  was  able  to  leave  her  cabin,  I  trusted  that  the  sea 
air  would  soon  restore  her  accustomed  health  to  her. 
After  a  few  preliminary  remarks,  which  would  scarcely 
prove  of  interest  even  if  recorded,  she  inquired  when  we 
expected  to  reach  England. 

"  About  midnight  to-night,  I  believe,"  I  replied; 
"  that  is,  if  all  goes  well." 

There  was  a  short  silence,  and  then  she  placed  her 
hand  in  mine  and  looked  anxiously  into  my  face. 

"  I  want  you  to  tell  me,  dear,"  she  said,  "  all  that 
happened  the  night  before  last.  In  my  own  heart  I 
felt  quite  certain  from  the  first  that  we  should  not  get 
safely  away.  Did  1  not  say  that  Pharos  would  never 
permit  it?  I  must  have  been  very  ill,  for  though  I 
remember  standing  in  the  sitting-room  at  the  hotel, 
waiting  for  you  to  return  from  the  steamship  office,  I 
cannot  recall  anything  else.  Tell  me  everything,  I 
am  quite  strong  enough  to  bear  it." 

Thus  entreahd,  I  described  how  she  had  foretold 
Pharos's  arrival  i]  Hamburg,  and  how  she  had  warned 
me  that  he  had  ei.  'ered  the  hotel. 

"  I  can  remember  nothing  of  what  you  tell  me," 
she  said  sadly  when  I  had  finished.  Then,  still  hold 
ing  my  hand  in  hers,  she  continued  in  an  undertone, 
"  We  were  to  have  been  so  happy  together." 


PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN.  207 

"  Not  '  were  to  have  ~been,' "  I  said,  with  a  show  of 
confidence  I  was  far  from  feeling,  "  but  '  are  to  be.' 
Believe  me,  darling,  all  will  come  right  yet.  We  have 
been  through  so  much  together  that  surely  we  must 
be  happy  in  the  end.  We  love  each  other,  and  nothing 
can  destroy  that." 

"  Nothing,"  she  answered,  with  a  little  catch  of  her 
breath;  "  but  there  is  one  thing  I  must  say  to  you  while 
I  have  time,  something  that  I  fear  may  possibly  give 
you  pain.  You  told  me  in  Hamburg  that  up  to  the 
present  no  case  of  the  plague  had  been  notified  in  Eng 
land.  If  that  is  so,  darling,  what  right  have  we  to  in 
troduce  it?  Surely  none.  Thing  of  the  misery  its 
coming  must  inevitably  cause  to  others.  For  aught  we 
know  to  the  contrary,  we  may  carry  the  infection  from 
Hamburg  with  us,  and  thousands  of  innocent  people 
will  suffer  in  consequence.  I  have  been  thinking  it 
over  all  night,  and  it  seems  to  me  that  if  we  did  this 
thing  we  should  be  little  better  than  murderers." 

I  had  thought  of  this  myself,  but  lest  I  should  ap 
pear  to  be  taking  credit  for  more  than  I  deserve,  I  must 
confess  that  the  true  consequences  of  the  action  to 
which  she  referred  had  never  struck  me.  Not  having 
any  desire  to  frighten  her,  I  did  not  tell  her  that  the 
disease  had  already  made  its  appearance  on  board  the 
very  vessel  in  which  we  were  travelling. 

"  You  are  bargaining  without  Pharos,  however,"  I 
replied.  "  If  he  has  made  up  his  mind  to  go,  how  are 
we  to  gainsay  him?  Our  last  attempt  could  scarcely  be 
considered  a  success." 

"  At  any  cost  to  ourselves  we  must  not  go,"  she  said 
firmly  and  decidedly.  "  The  lives  of  loving  parents,  of 
women  and  little  children,  the  happiness  of  an  entire 
nation,  depend  upon  our  action.  What  is  our  safety, 
great  as  it  seems  to  us,  compared  with  theirs?" 


268  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

"  Valerie,  you  are  my  good  angel/'  I  said.  "  What 
ever  you  wish  I  will  do." 

"  We  must  tell  Pharos  that  we  have  both  deter 
mined  on  no  account  to  land  with  him/'  she  continued. 
"  If  the  pestilence  had  already  shown  itself  there  it 
would  he  a  different  matter,  but  as  it  is  we  have  no 
choice  left  us  but  to  do  our  duty." 

"  But  where  are  we  to  go  if  we  do  not  visit  Eng 
land?  And  what  are  we  to  do?"  I  asked,  for  I  could 
plainly  see  the  difficulties  ahead. 

"  I  do  not  know,"  she  answered  simply.  "  Never 
fear;  we  will  find  some  place.  You  may  be  certain  of 
this,  dear — if  we  wish  God  to  bless  our  love  we  must 
act  as  I  propose." 

"  So  it  shall  be,"  I  answered,  lifting  her  hand  to 
my  lips.  "  You  have  decided  for  me.  Whatever  it 
may  mean  to  ourselves,  we  will  not  do  anything  that 
will  imperil  the  lives  of  the  people  you  spoke  of  just 
now." 

A  few  moments  later  I  heard  a  footstep  on  the  com 
panion-ladder.  It  was  Pharos  returning  from  his 
examination  of  the  plague-stricken  men.  In  the  dim 
light  of  the  hatchway  he  looked  more  like  a  demon  than 
a  man,  and  as  I  thought  of  the  subject  I  had  to  broach 
to  him,  and  the  storm  it  would  probably  bring  down 
upon  us,  I  am  not  ashamed  to  confess  that  my  heart 
sank  into  my  shoes. 

It  was  not  until  he  was  fairly  in  the  saloon  that  he 
became  aware  of  Valerie's  presence. 

"  I  offer  you  my  congratulations  upon  your  im 
proved  appearance,"  he  said  politely.  "  I  am  glad  of 
it,  for  it  will  make  matters  the  easier  when  we  get 
ashore." 

I  had  already  risen  from  my  seat,  though  I  still 
held  Valerie's  hand. 


PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN.  2G9 

"  Your  pardon,  Monsieur  Pharos,"  I  said,  trying  to 
speak  calmly,  "  but  on  that  subject  it  is  necessary  that 
I  should  have  a  few  words  with  you." 

"  Indeed,"  he  answered,  looking  at  me  with  the 
customary  sneer  upon  his  face.  "  In  that  case,  say  on, 
for,  as  you  see,  I  am  all  attention.  I  must  beg,  how 
ever,  that  you  will  be  quick  about  it,  for  matters  are 
progressing  so  capitally  on  board  this  ship  that,  if 
things  go  on  as  they  are  doing  at  present,  we  may  every 
one  of  us  expect  to  be  down  with  the  plague  before 
midday." 

"  The  plague! "  Valerie  repeated,  with  a  note  of 
fear  in  her  voice.  "  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  it  has 
broken  out  on  board  this  steamer?  "  Then,  turning  to 
me,  she  added  reproachfully,  "  You  did  not  tell  me 
that." 

"  Very  probably  not,  my  dear,"  Pharos  answered 
for  me.  "  Had  he  done  so,  you  would  scarcely  have 
propounded  the  ingenious  theory  you  were  discussing 
shortly  before  I  entered." 

Overwhelming  as  was  Valerie's  surprise  at  the 
dreadful  news  Pharos  had  disclosed  to  her,  and  unen 
viable  as  our  present  position  was,  we  could  not  con 
tain  our  astonishment  at  finding  that  Pharos  had  be 
come  acquainted  with  the  decision  we  had  arrived  at  a 
few  moments  before.  Instinctively  I  glanced  up  at 
the  skylight  overhead,  thinking  it  might  have  been 
through  that  he  had  overheard  our  conversation.  But 
it  was  securely  closed.  By  what  means,  therefore,  he 
had  acquired  his  information  I  could  not  imagine. 

"  You  were  prepared  to  tell  me  when  I  appeared," 
he  said,  "  that  you  would  refuse  to  enter  England, 
on  what  I  cannot  help  considering  most  absurd 
grounds.  You  must  really  forgive  me  if  I  do  not  agree 
with  your  views.  Apart  from  the  idea  of  your  thwart- 
18 


270  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

ing  me,  your  decision  is  ludicrous  in  the  extreme. 
However,  now  that  you  find  you  are  no  safer  on  board 
this  ship  than  you  would  be  ashore — in  point  of  fact, 
not  so  safe — you  will  doubtless  change  your  minds. 
By  way  of  emphasising  my  point,  I  might  tell  you  that 
out  of  the  twelve  men  constituting  her  crew,  no  less 
than  four  are  victims  of  the  pestilence,  while  one  is 
dead  and  thrown  overboard." 

"  Four,"  I  cried,  scarcely  able  to  believe  that  what 
he  said  could  be  true.  "  There  were  only  two  half  an 
hour  ago." 

"  I  do  not  combat  that  assertion,"  he  said;  "  but 
you  forget  that  the  disease  travels  fast,  faster  even  than 
you  do  when  you  run  away  from  me,  my  dear  For 
rester.  However,  I  don't  know  that  that  fact  matters 
very  much.  What  we  have  to  deal  with  is  your  oblig 
ing  offer  to  refuse  to  land  in  England.  Perhaps  you 
will  be  good  enough  to  tell  me,  in  the  event  of  your 
not  doing  so  there,  where  you  will  condescend  to  go 
ashore!  The  Margrave  of  Brandenburg  is  only  a  small 
vessel,  after  all,  and  with  the  best  intention  she  cannot 
remain  at  sea  for  ever." 

"  What  we  wish  to  tell  you  is,"  I  answered,  "  that 
we  have  decided  not  to  be  the  means  of  introducing 
this  terrible  scourge  into  a  country  that  so  far  is  free 
from  it." 

"  A  very  philanthropic  decision  on  your  part,"  he 
answered  sarcastically.  "  Unfortunately,  however,  I 
am  in  a  position  to  be  able  to  inform  you  that  your 
charity  is  not  required.  Though  the  authorities  are 
not  aware  of  it,  the  plague  has  already  broken  out  in 
England.  For  this  reason  you  will  not  be  responsible 
for  such  deaths  as  may  occur." 

He  paused  and  looked  first  at  Valerie  and  then  at 
myself.  The  old  light  I  remembered  having  seen  in  his 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  271 

eyes  the  night  he  had  hypnotised  me  in  my  studio  was 
shining  there  now.  Very  soon  the  storm  which  had 
been  gathering  broke,  and  its  violence  was  the  greater 
for  having  been  so  long  suppressed. 

"  I  have  warned  you  several  times  already,"  he 
cried,  shaking  his  fist  at  me,  "  but  you  take  no  notice. 
You  will  try  to  thwart  me  again,  and  then  nothing  can 
save  you.  You  fool!  cannot  you  see  how  thin  the  crust 
is  upon  which  you  stand?  Hatch  but  one  more  plot, 
and  I  will  punish  you  in  a  fashion  of  which  you  do  not 
dream.  As  with  this  woman  here,  I  have  but  to  raise 
my  hand,  and  jon  are  powerless  to  help  yourself. 
Sight,  hearing,  power  of  speech,  may  be  all  taken  from 
you  in  a  second,  and  for  as  long  a  time  as  I  please." 
Then,  turning  to  Valerie,  he  continued,  "  To  your 
cabin  with  you,  madam.  Let  me  hear  no  more  of  such 
talk  as  this,  or  'twill  be  time  for  me  to  give  you  another 
exhibition  of  my  power." 

Valerie  departed  to  her  cabin  without  a  word,  and 
Pharos,  with  another  glance  at  me,  entered  his,  while 
I  remained  standing  in  the  centre  of  the  saloon,  not 
knowing  what  to  do  nor  what  to  say. 

It  was  not  until  late  that  evening  that  I  saw  him 
again,  and  then  I  was  on  deck.  The  sea  was  much 
smoother  than  in  the  morning,  but  the  night  wind 
blew  cold.  I  had  not  left  the  companion-ladder  very 
long  before  I  was  aware  of  a  man  coming  slowly  along 
the  deck  towards  me,  lurching  from  side  to  side  as  he 
walked.  To  my  astonishment  it  proved  to  be  the  cap 
tain,  and  it  was  plain  that  something  serious  was  the 
matter  with  him.  When  he  came  closer  I  found  that 
he  was  talking  to  himself. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  captain?"  I  inquired,  with 
a  foreboding  in  my  heart.  "  Are  you  not  feeling 
well?" 


272  PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN. 

He  shook  off  the  hand  I  had  placed  upon  his  arm. 

"  It  is  no  good,  I  will  not  do  it! "  he  cried  fiercely. 
"  I  have  done  enough  for  you  already,  and  you  won't 
get  me  to  do  any  more." 

"  Come,  come,"  I  said,  "  you  mustn't  be  wandering 
about  the  deck  like  this!  Let  me  help  you  to  your 
cabin."  So  saying,  I  took  him  by  the  arm  and  was 
about  to  lead  him  along  the  deck  in  the  direction  of 
his  own  quarters,  when,  with  a  shout  of  rage,  he  turned 
and  threw  himself  upon  me.  Then  began  a  strug 
gle  such  as  I  had  never  known  in  my  life  before. 
The  man  was  undoubtedly  mad,  and  I  soon  found  that 
I  had  to  put  out  all  my  strength  to  hold  my  own 
against  him. 

While  we  were  still  wrestling,  Pharos  made  his  ap 
pearance  from  below.  He  took  in  the  situation  at  a 
glance,  and  as  we  swayed  towards  him  threw  himself 
upon  the  captain,  twining  his  long,  thin  fingers  about 
the  other's  throat  and  clinging  to  him  with  the  tenac 
ity  of  a  bulldog.  The  result  may  be  easily  foreseen. 
Overmatched  as  he  was,  the  wretched  man  fell  like  a 
log  upon  the  deck,  and  I  with  him.  The  force  with 
which  his  head  struck  the  planks  must  have  stunned 
him,  for  he  lay,  without  moving,  just  where  he  had 
fallen.  The  light  of  the  lamp  in  the  companion  fell 
full  upon  his  face  and  enabled  me  to  see  a  large  swell 
ing  on  the  right  side  of  the  throat,  a  little  below 
the  ear. 

"  Another  victim,"  said  Pharos,  and  I  could  have 
sworn  a  chuckle  escaped  him.  "  You  had  better  leave 
him  to  me.  There  is  no  hope  for  him.  That  swelling 
is  an  infallible  sign.  He  is  unconscious  now;  in  half 
an  hour  he  will  be  dead." 

Unhappily  his  prophecy  proved  to  be  correct,  for 
though  we  bore  him  to  his  cabin  and  did  all  that  was 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  273 

possible,  in  something  under  the  time  Pharos  had 
mentioned  death  had  overtaken  him. 

Our  position  was  even  less  pleasant  now  than  be 
fore.  We  had  only  the  second  mate  to  fall  back  upon, 
and  if  anything  happened  to  him  I  did  not  see  how  it 
would  be  possible  for  us  to  reach  our  destination.  As 
it  turned  out,  however,  I  need  not  have  worried  myself, 
for  we  were  closer  to  the  English  coast  than  I  imagined. 

Owing  to  the  stringency  of  the  quarantine  laws, 
and  to  the  fact  that  the  coastguards  all  round  the  Brit 
ish  Isles  were  continually  on  the  look-out  for  vessels 
attempting  to  land  passengers,  orders  had  been  given 
that  no  lights  should  be  shown;  the  skylights  and  port 
holes  were  accordingly  covered  with  tarpaulins. 

It  wanted  a  quarter  of  an  hour  to  midnight  when 
Pharos  came  along  the  deck  and,  standing  by  my  side, 
pointed  away  over  our  bow. 

"  The  black  smudge  you  can  distinguish  on  the 
horizon  is  England,"  he  said  abruptly,  and  then  was 
silent,  in  order,  I  suppose,  that  I  might  have  time  to 
digest  the  thoughts  his  information  conjured  up. 


CHAPTEE  XVIII. 

PHAROS  and  I  stood  leaning  against  the  bulwarks, 
gazing  at  the  land.  For  my  part  I  must  confess  that 
there  was  a  feeling  in  my  heart  that  was  not  unlike 
that  of  a  disgraced  son  who  enters  his  home  by  stealth 
after  a  long  absence.  And  yet  it  would  be  impossible 
to  tell  you  how  my  heart  warmed  to  it.  Times  out  of 
number  I  had  thought  of  my  return  to  England,  and 
had  pictured  Valerie  standing  by  my  side  upon  the 
deck  of  the  steamer,  watching  the  land  loom  up,  and 
thinking  of  the  happiness  that  was  to  be  our  portion 
in  the  days  to  come.  Now  Valerie  and  I  were  certainly 
nearing  England  together;  Pharos,  however,  was  with 
us,  and  while  we  were  in  his  power  happiness  was,  to 
all  intents  and  purposes,  unknown  to  us. 

"  What  do  you  propose  doing  when  you  get 
ashore?"  I  inquired  of  my  companion,  more  for  the 
sake  of  breaking  the  silence  than  for  any  desire  I  had 
for  the  information. 

"  That  will  very  much  depend  upon  circum 
stances,"  he  replied,  still  without  looking  at  me.  "  Our 
main  object  must  be  to  reach  London  as  quickly  as 
possible."  Then,  changing  bis  tone,  he  turned  to  me. 
"  Forrester,  my  dear  fellow,"  he  said,  almost  sorrow 
fully,  "  you  cannot  think  how  I  regret  our  little  dis 
agreement  of  this  morning.  I  am  afraid,  while  I  am 
touchy,  you  are  headstrong;  and,  in  consequence,  we 
misunderstand  each  other.  I  cannot,  of  course,  tell 
274 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  275 

what  you  think  of  me  in  your  heart,  but  I  venture  to 
believe  that  if  you  knew  everything,  you  would  be  the 
first  to  own  that  you  have  wronged  me.  Bad  as  I  may 
be,  I  am  not  quite  what  you  would  make  me  out.  If 
I  were,  do  you  think,  knowing  your  antagonism  as  I  do, 
I  should  have  kept  you  so  long  with  me?  You  have 
doubted  me  from  the  beginning;  in  fact,  as  you  will 
remember,  you  once  went  so  far  as  to  accuse  me  of  the 
crime  of  murder.  You  afterwards  acknowledged  your 
mistake — in  handsome  terms,  I  will  own;  but  to  coun 
terbalance  such  frankness,  you  later  on  accused  me  of 
drugging  you  in  Cairo.  This  was  another  fallacy,  as 
you  yourself  will,  I  am  sure,  admit.  In  Prague  you 
ran  away  from  me,  taking  my  ward  with  you,  a  very 
curious  proceeding,  regarded  in  whatever  light  you 
choose  to  look  at  it.  What  was  your  object?  Why,  to 
reach  England.  Well,  as  soon  as  I  knew  that,  I  again 
showed  my  desire  to  help  you.  As  a  proof  of  that,  are 
we  not  now  on  board  this  ship,  and  is  not  that  the  coast 
of  England  over  yonder?  " 

I  admitted  that  it  was.  But  I  was  not  at  all  pre 
pared  to  subscribe  to  his  generous  suggestion  that  he 
had  only  undertaken  the  voyage  for  my  sake. 

"  That,  however,  is  not  all,"  he  continued,  still  in 
the  same  tone.  "  As  I  think  I  told  you  in  Prague,  I 
am  aware  that  you  entertain  a  sincere  affection  for  my 
ward.  Many  men  in  my  position  would  doubtless  have 
refused  their  consent  to  your  betrothal,  if  for  no  other 
reason,  because  of  your  behaviour  to  myself.  I  am, 
however,  cast  in  a  different  mould.  If  you  will  only 
play  fair  by  me,  you  will  find  that  I  will  do  so  to  you. 
I  like  you,  as  I  have  so  often  said,  and,  though  I  am 
doubtless  a  little  hasty  in  my  temper,  there  is  nothing 
I  would  not  do  to  help  you,  either  in  your  heart,  your 
ambition,  or  your  love.  And  I  can  assure  you  my  help 


276  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

is  not  to  be  despised.  If  it  is  fame  you  seek,  you  have 
surely  seen  enough  of  me  to  know  that  I  can  give  it 
to  you.  If  it  is  domestic  happiness,  who  can  do  so 
much  for  you  as  I  ?  " 

"  I  hope,  Monsieur  Pharos,"  I  answered,  in  as  dig 
nified  a  manner  as  I  could  assume,  "  that  I  appreciate 
your  very  kind  remarks  at  their  proper  value,  and  also 
the  generous  manner  in  which  you  have  offered  to  for 
get  and  forgive  such  offences  as  I  have  committed 
against  yourself.  You  must,  however,  pardon  me  if  I 
fail  to  realise  the  drift  of  your  remarks.  There  have 
been  times  during  the  last  six  weeks  when  you  have 
uttered  the  most  extraordinary  threats  against  myself. 
Naturally,  I  have  no  desire  to  quarrel  with  you;  but, 
remembering  what  has  passed  between  us,  I  am  com 
pelled  to  show  myself  a  little  sceptical  of  your  prom 
ises." 

He  glanced  sharply  at  me,  but  was  wise  enough  to 
say  nothing.  A  moment  later,  making  the  excuse  that 
he  must  discover  where  the  mate  intended  to  bring 
up,  he  left  me  and  went  forward  to  the  bridge. 

I  was  still  thinking  of  my  conversation  with  Pha 
ros,  and  considering  whether  I  had  been  wise  in  letting 
him  see  my  cards,  when  a  little  hand  stole  into  mine, 
and  I  found  Valerie  beside  me. 

"  I  could  not  remain  below,"  she  said,  "  when  we 
were  nearing  England.  I  knew  the  effect  the  land 
would  have  upon  you,  and  I  wanted  to  be  with 
you." 

I  then  gave  her  an  account  of  the  interview  I  had 
had  with  Pharos,  and  of  all  he  had  said  to  me  and  I  to 
him.  She  listened  attentively  enough,  but  I  could  see 
that  she  was  far  from  being  impressed. 

"  Do  not  trust  him,"  she  said.  "  Surely  you  know 
him  well  enough  by  this  time  not  to  do  so.  You  may 


PHAROS,  TELE  EGYPTIAN.  277 

be  very  sure  he  has  some  reason  for  saying  this,  other 
wise  he  would  not  trouble  himself  to  speak  about  it." 

"'  I  shall  not  trust  him,"  I  replied.  "  You  need 
have  no  fear  of  that.  My  experience  of  him  has  taught 
me  that  it  is  in  such  moments  as  these  that  he  is 
most  dangerous.  When  he  is  in  one  of  his  bad  hu 
mours,  one  is  on  the  alert  and  prepared  for  anything  he 
may  do  or  say;  but  when  he  repents  and  appears  so 
anxious  to  be  friendly,  one  scarcely  knows  how  to  take 
him.  Suspicion  is  lulled  to  sleep  for  the  moment,  there 
is  a  feeling  of  security,  and  it  is  then  the  mischief  is 
accomplished." 

"  We  will  watch  him  together,"  she  continued; 
"  but,  whether  he  is  friendly  or  otherwise,  we  will  not 
trust  him  even  for  a  moment." 

So  close  were  we  by  this  time  to  the  shore,  and  so 
still  was  the  night,  that  we  could  even  hear  the  wave 
lets  breaking  upon  the  beach.  Then  the  screw  of  the 
steamer  ceased  to  revolve,  and  when  it  was  quite  still 
Pharos  and  the  second  mate  descended  from  the  bridge 
and  joined  us. 

''  This  has  been  a  bad  business,  a  very  bad  busi 
ness,"  the  mate  was  saying.  "  The  skipper,  the  chief 
engineer,  the  steward,  and  three  of  the  hands  all  dead, 
and  no  port  to  put  into  for  assistance.  I  wish  I  was 
going  ashore  like  you." 

We  shook  hands  with  him  in  turn,  and  then  de 
scended  the  ladder  to  the  boat  alongside.  The  thought 
of  the  mate's  position  on  board  that  plague-stricken 
vessel  may  possibly  have  accounted  for  the  silence  in 
which  we  pushed  off  and  headed  for  the  shore;  at  any 
rate,  not  a  word  was  spoken.  The  sea  was  as  calm  as 
a  mill-pond,  and  for  the  reason  that  the  night  was 
dark,  and  we  were  all  dressed  in  sombre  colours,  while 
the  boat  chosen  for  the  work  of  landing  us  was  painted 


278  PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN. 

a  deep  black,  it  was  scarcely  likely  our  presence 
would  be  detected.  Be  that  as  it  may,  110  coastguard 
greeted  us  on  our  arrival.  Therefore,  as  soon  as  the 
boat  was  aground,  we  made  our  way  into  the  bows, 
and  with  the  assistance  of  the  sailors  reached  the  beach. 
Pharos  rewarded  the  men,  and  remained  standing  be 
side  the  water  until  he  had  seen  them  safely  embarked 
on  their  return  journey  to  the  steamer.  Then,  without 
a  word  to  us,  he  turned  himself  about,  crossed  the 
beach,  and  carrying  his  beloved  monkey  in  his  arms, 
began  slowly  to  ascend  the  steep  path  which  led  to  the 
high  land  on  which  the  village  was  situated.  We  did 
not,  however,  venture  to  approach  the  place  itself. 

The  remembrance  of  that  strange  night  often  re 
turns  to  me  now.  In  my  mind's  eye  I  can  see  the  squat 
figure  of  Pharos  tramping  on  ahead,  Valerie  following 
a  few  steps  behind  him,  and  myself  bringing  up  the 
rear,  and  all  this  with  the  brilliant  stars  overhead,  the 
lights  of  the  village  showing  dimly  across  the  sandhills 
to  our  right,  and  the  continuous  murmur  of  the  sea 
behind  us. 

For  upwards  of  an  hour  we  tramped  on  in  this 
fashion,  and  in  that  time  scarcely  covered  a  distance 
of  four  miles.  Had  it  occurred  at  the  commencement 
of  our  acquaintance  I  should  not  have  been  able  to 
understand  how  Pharos,  considering  his  age  and  infirm 
appearance,  could  have  accomplished  even  so  much. 
Since  then,  however,  I  had  been  permitted  so  many 
opportunities  of  noting  the  enormous  strength  and 
vitality  contained  in  his  meagre  frame  that  I  was  past 
any  feeling  of  wonderment.  Valerie  it  was  who  caused 
me  most  anxiety.  Only  two  days  before  she  had  been 
stricken  by  the  plague;  yesterday  she  was  still  confined 
to  her  cabin.  Now  here  she  was,  subjected  to  intense 
excitement  and  no  small  amount  of  physical  exertion. 


PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN.  279 

Pharos  must  have  had  the  same  thought  in  his  mind, 
for  more  than  once  he  stopped  and  inquired  if  she  felt 
capable  of  proceeding,  and  on  one  occasion  he  poured 
out  for  her  from  a  flask  he  carried  in  his  pocket  a  small 
cupful  of  some  fluid  he  had  doubtless  brought  with 
him  for  that  purpose.  At  last  the  welcome  sight  of  a 
railway  line  came  into  view.  It  crossed  the  road,  and 
as  soon  as  we  saw  it  we  stopped  and  took  counsel  to 
gether.  The  question  for  us  to  consider  was  whether 
it  would  be  wiser  to  continue  our  walk  along  the  high 
road,  on  the  chance  of  its  bringing  us  to  a  station,  or 
whether  we  should  clamber  up  the  embankment  to  the 
railway  line  itself,  and  follow  that  along  in  the  hope  of 
achieving  the  same  result.  On  the  one  side  there  was 
the  likelihood  of  our  having  to  go  a  long  way  round, 
and  on  the  other  the  suspicion  that  might  possibly  be 
aroused  in  the  minds  of  the  railway  officials  should  we 
make  an  appearnce  at  the  station  in  such  an  unortho 
dox  fashion.  Eventually,  however,  we  decided  for  the 
railway  line.  Accordingly  we  mounted  the  stile  beside 
the  arch,  and  having  clambered  up  the  embankment 
to  the  footpath  beside  the  permanent  way,  resumed  our 
march,  one  behind  the  other  as  before.  We  had  not, 
however,  as  it  turned  out,  very  much  further  to  go,  for 
on  emerging  from  the  cutting,  which  began  at  a  short 
distance  from  the  arch  just  referred  to,  we  saw  before 
us  a  glimmering  light,  emanating,  so  we  discovered  later, 
from  the  signal-box  on  the  further  side  of  the  station. 
I  could  not  help  wondering  how  Pharos  would  explain 
our  presence  at  such  an  hour,  but  I  knew  him  well 
enough  by  this  time  to  feel  sure  that  he  would  be  able 
to  do  so,  not  only  to  his  own,  but  to  everybody  else's 
satisfaction.  The  place  itself  proved  to  be  a  primitive 
roadside  affair,  with  a  small  galvanised  shelter  for  pas 
sengers,  and  a  cottage  at  the  further  end,  which  we 


280  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

set  down  rightly  enough  as  the  residence  of  the  station- 
master.  The  only  lights  to  be  seen  were  an  oil-lamp 
above  the  cottage  door,  and  another  in  the  waiting- 
room.  No  sign  of  any  official  could  be  discovered. 

"  We  must  now  find  out,"  said  Pharos,  "  at  what 
time  the  next  train  leaves  for  civilisation.  Even  in 
such  a  hole  as  this  they  must  surely  have  a  time-table." 

So  saying,  he  went  into  the  shelter  before  described 
and  turned  up  the  lamp.  His  gues's  proved  to  be  cor 
rect,  for  a  number  of  notices  were  pasted  upon  the 
wall. 

"  Did  you  happen  to  see  the  name  of  the  station  as 
you  came  along  the  platform?"  he  inquired  of  me  as 
he  knelt  upon  the  seat  and  ran  his  eye  along  the 
printed  sheets. 

"  I  did  not,"  I  replied;  "  but  I  will  very  soon  find 
out." 

Leaving  them,  I  made  my  way  along  the  platform 
toward  the  cottage.  Here  on  a  board  suspended  upon 
the  fence  was  the  name  "  Tebworth  "  in  large  letters. 
I  returned  and  informed  Pharos,  who  immediately 
placed  his  skinny  finger  upon  the  placard  before  him. 

"  Tebworth,"  he  said.  "  Here  it  is.  The  next  train 
for  Norwich  leaves  at  2.48.  What  is  the  time  now?  " 

I  consulted  my  watch. 

"  Ten  minutes  to  two,"  I  replied.  "  Eoughly  speak 
ing,  we  have  an  hour  to  wait." 

"  We  are  lucky  in  not  having  longer,"  Pharos  re 
plied.  "  It  is  a  piece  of  good  fortune  to  get  a  train  at 
all  at  such  an  early  hour." 

With  that  he  seated  himself  in  a  corner  and  closed 
his  eyes  as  if  preparatory  to  slumber.  I  suppose  I  must 
have  dozed  off  after  a  while,  for  I  have  no  remembrance 
of  anything  further  until  I  was  awakened  by  hearing 
the  steps  of  a  man  on  the  platform  outside,  and  his 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  281 

voice  calling  to  a  certain  Joel,  whoever  he  might  be, 
to  know  if  there  were  any  news  of  the  train  for  which 
we  were  waiting. 

Before  the  other  had  time  to  answer  Pharos  had 
risen  and  gone  out.  The  exclamation  of  surprise,  to 
say  nothing  of  the  look  of  astonishment  upon  the  sta- 
tionmaster's  face — for  the  badge  upon  his  cap  told  me 
it  was  he — when  he  found  Pharos  standing  before  him, 
was  comical  in  the  extreme. 

"  Good  evening/'  said  the  latter  in  his  most  urbane 
manner,  "  or  rather,  since  it  is  getting  on  for  three 
o'clock,  I  suppose  I  should  say  '  Good  morning/  Is 
you  train  likely  to  be  late,  do  you  think?  " 

"  I  don't  fancy  so,  sir,"  the  man  replied.  "  She  al 
ways  runs  up  to  time." 

Then,  unable  to  contain  the  curiosity  our  presence 
on  his  platform  at  such  an  hour  occasioned  him,  he 
continued,  "  No  offence,  I  hope,  sir,  but  we  don't  have 
many  passengers  of  your  kind  by  it  as  a  general  rule. 
It's  full  early  for  ladies  and  gentlemen  Tebworth  way 
to  be  travelling  about  the  country." 

"  Very  likely,"  said  Pharos,  with  more  than  his 
usual  sweetness;  "  but  you  ,see,  my  friend,  our  case  is 
peculiar.  We  have  a  poor  lady  with  us  whom  we  are 
anxious  to  get  up  to  London  as  quickly  as  possible. 
The  excitement  of  travelling  by  day  would  be  too  much 
for  her,  so  we  choose  the  quiet  of  the  early  morning. 
Of  course  you  understand." 

Pharos  tapped  his  forehead  in  a  significant  man 
ner,  and  his  intelligence  being  thus  complimented,  the 
man  glanced  into  the  shelter,  and  seeing  Valerie  seated 
there  with  a  sad  expression  upon  her  face,  turned  to 
Pharos  and  said — 

"  When  the  train  comes  in,  sir,  you  leave  it  to  me, 
and  I'll  see  if  I  can't  find  you  a  carriage  which  you  can 


282  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

have  to  yourselves  right  through.  You'll  be  in  Nor 
wich  at  three-twenty." 

We  followed  him  along  the  platform  to  the  book 
ing-office,  and  Pharos  had  scarcely  taken  the  tickets 
before  the  whistle  of  the  train,  sounding  as  it  entered 
the  cutting  by  which  we  had  reached  the  station, 
warned  us  to  prepare  for  departure. 

"Ah,  here  she  is,  running  well  up  to  time!"  said 
the  stationmaster.  "  Now,  sir,  you  come  with  me." 

Pharos  beckoned  us  to  follow;  the  other  opened 
the  door  of  a  first-class  coach.  We  all  got  in.  Pharos 
slipped  a  sovereign  into  the  man's  hand;  the  train 
started,  and  a  minute  later  we  were  safely  out  of  Teh- 
worth  and  on  the  road  once  more.  Our  arrival  in  Nor 
wich  was  punctual  almost  to  the  moment,  and  within 
twenty  minutes  of  our  arival  there  we  had  changed 
trains  and  were  speeding  toward  London  at  a  rate  of 
fifty  miles  an  hour. 

From  Norwich,  as  from  Tebworth,  we  were  fortu 
nate  enough  to  have  a  carriage  to  ourselves,  and  during 
the  journey  I  found  occasion  to  discuss  with  Pharos 
the  question  as  to  what  he  thought  of  doing  when  we 
reached  town.  In  my  own  mind  I  had  made  sure  that 
as  soon  as  we  got  there  he  would  take  Valerie  away  to 
the  house  he  had  occupied  011  the  occasion  of  his  last 
visit,  while  I  should  return  to  my  own  studio.  This, 
however,  I  discovered  was  by  no  means  what  he  in 
tended. 

"  I  could  not  hear  of  it,  my  dear  Forrester,"  he  said 
emphatically.  "Is  it  possible  that  you  can  imagine, 
after  all  we  have  been  through  together,  I  should  per 
mit  you  to  leave  me?  No!  no!  Such  a  thing  is  not  to 
be  thought  of  for  an  instant.  I  appreciate  your  com 
pany,  even  though  you  told  me  so  plainly  last  evening 
that  you  do  not  believe  it.  You  are  also  about  to  be- 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  283 

come  the  husband  of  my  ward,  and  for  that  reason 
alone  I  have  no  desire  to  lose  sight  of  you  in  the  short 
time  that  is  left  me.  I  arranged  with  my  agents  be 
fore  I  left  London  in  June,  and  I  heard  from  them  in 
Cairo  that  they  had  found  a  suitable  residence  for  me 
in  a  fashionable  locality.  Valerie  and  I  do  not  require 
very  much  room,  and  if  you  will  take  up  your  abode 
with  us — that  is  to  say,  of  course,  until  you  are  married 
— I  assure  you  we  shall  both  be  delighted.  What  do 
you  say,  my  dear?  " 

I  saw  Valerie's  face  brighten  on  hearing  that  we 
were  not  destined  to  be  separated,  and  that  decided 
me.  However,  for  the  reason  that  I  did  not  for  an  in 
stant  believe  in  his  expressions  of  friendship,  I  was  not 
going  to  appear  too  anxious  to  accept  his  proposal. 
There  was  something  behind  it  all  that  I  did  not  know, 
and  before  I  pledged  myself  I  desired  to  find  out  what 
that  something  was. 

"  I  do  not  know  what  to  say,"  I  answered,  as  soon 
as  I  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  for  the  moment  it 
would  be  better  to  appear  to  have  forgotten  and  for 
given  the  past.  "  I  have  trespassed  too  much  upon 
your  hospitality  already." 

"  You  have  not  trespassed  upon  it  at  all,"  he  an 
swered.  "  I  have  derived  great  pleasure  from  your 
society,  and  I  shall  be  still  more  pleased  if  you  can  see 
your  way  to  fall  in  with  my  plan." 

Thereupon  I  withdrew  my  refusal,  and  promised  to 
take  up  my  residence  with  him  at  least  until  the  ar 
rangements  should  be  made  for  our  wedding. 

As  it  turned  out,  my  astonishment  on  hearing  that 
he  had  taken  a  London  house  was  not  the  only  surprise 
in  store  for  me,  for  on  reaching  Liverpool  Street,  who 
should  come  forward  to  meet  us  but  the  same  peculiar 
footman  who  had  ridden  beside  the  coachman  on  that 


284:  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

memorable  return  journey  from  Pompeii.  He  was 
dressed  in  the  same  dark  and  unpretentious  livery  he 
had  worn  then,  and  while  he  greeted  his  master,  mis 
tress,  and  myself  with  the  most  obsequious  respect,  did 
not  betray  the  least  sign  of  either  pleasure  or  astonish 
ment.  Having  ascertained  that  we  had  brought  no 
luggage  with  us,  he  led  us  from  the  platform  to  the 
yard  outside,  where  we  found  a  fine  landau  awaiting 
us,  drawn  by  a  pair  of  jet-black  horses,  and  driven  by 
the  same  coachman  I  had  seen  in  Naples  on  the  occa 
sion  referred  to  above.  Having  helped  Valerie  to  enter, 
and  as  soon  as  I  had  installed  myself  with  my  back  to 
the  horses,  Pharos  said  something  in  an  undertone  to 
the  footman,  and  then  took  his  place  opposite  me. 
The  door  was  immediately  closed  and  we  drove  out  of 
the  yard. 

We  soon  left  the  City  behind  and  proceeded  along 
Victoria  Street,  and  so  by  way  of  Grosvenor  Place  to 
Park  Lane,  where  we  drew  up  before  a  house  at  which, 
in  the  days  when  it  had  been  the  residence  of  the  fa 
mous  Lord  Tollingtower,  I  had  been  a  constant  visitor. 

"  I  presume,  since  we  have  stopped  here,  that  this 
must  be  the  place,"  said  Pharos,  gazing  up  at  it. 

"  Do  you  mean  that  this  is  the  house  you  have 
taken?  "  I  asked  in  astonishment,  for  it  was  one  of  the 
finest  residences  in  London. 

"  I  mean  that  this  is  the  house  that  my  agents  have 
taken  for  me,"  Pharos  replied.  "  Personally  I  know 
nothing  whatsoever  about  it." 

"  But  surely  you  do  not  take  a  place  without  mak 
ing  some  inquiries  about  it?"  I  continued. 

"  Why  not?  "  he  inquired.  "  I  have  servants  whom 
I  can  trust,  and  they  know  that  it  is  more  than  their 
lives  are  worth  to  deceive  me.  Strangely  enough,  how 
ever,  it  is  recalled  to  my 'mind  that  this  house  and  I 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  285 

do  happen  to  be  acquainted.  The  late  owner  was  a 
personal  friend.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  I  stayed  with  him 
throughout  his  last  illness  and  was  with  him  when  he 
died." 

You  may  be  sure  I  pricked  up  my  ears  on  hearing 
this,  for,  as  everyone  knew,  the  later  Lord  Tolling- 
tower  had  reached  the  end  of  his  extraordinary  career 
under  circumstances  that  had  created  rather  a  sensation 
at  the  time.  Something,  however,  warned  me  to  ask 
no  questions. 

"  Let  us  alight/'  said  Pharos,  and  when  the  foot 
man  had  opened  the  door  we  accordingly  did  so. 

On  entering  the  house  I  was  surprised  to  find  that 
considerable  architectural  changes  had  been  made  in 
it.  Nor  was  my  wonderment  destined  to  cease  there, 
for  when  I  was  shown  to  the  bedroom  which  had  been 
prepared  for  me,  there,  awaiting  me  at  the  foot  of  the 
bed,  was  the  luggage  I  had  left  at  the  hotel  in  Prague, 
and  which  I  had  made  up  my  mind  I  had  lost  sight  of 
for  ever.  Here,  at  least,  was  evidence  to  prove  that 
Pharos  had  never  intended  that  I  should  leave  him. 


19 


CHAPTEE  XIX. 

AFTER  the  excitement  of  the  past  few  days,  and  her 
terrible  -experience  in  Hamburg,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
fact  that  she  had  landed  from  a  steamer  under  peculiar 
circumstances,  and  had  been  tramping  the  country 
half  the  night,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  by  the 
time  we  reached  Park  Lane  Valerie  was  completely 
knocked  up.  Pharos  had  accordingly  insisted  that  she 
should  at  once  retire  to  her  room  and  endeavour  to 
obtain  the  rest  of  which  she  stood  so  much  in  need. 

"  For  the  next  few  weeks — that  is  to  say,  until  the 
end  of  the  Season — I  intend  that  you  shall  both  enjoy 
yourselves,"  he  said  with  the  utmost  affability,  when 
we  were  alone  together,  "  to  the  top  of  your  bent.  And 
that  reminds  me  of  something,  Forrester.  Your  be 
trothal  must  be  announced  as  speedily  as  possible.  It 
is  due  to  Valerie  that  this  should  be  done.  I  presume 
you  do  not  wish  the  engagement  to  be  a  long  one?  " 

"  Indeed  I  do  not,"  I  answered,  not,  however,  with 
out  a  slight  feeling  of  surprise  that  he  should  speak 
so  openly  and  so  soon  upon  the  subject.  "  As  you  may 
suppose,  it  cannot  be  too  short  to  please  me.  And  our 
marriage?  " 

"  Your  marriage  can  take  place  as  soon  after  the 
Season  as  you  please,"  he  continued  with  the  same  ex 
traordinary  geniality.  "  You  will  not  find  me  placing 
any  obstacles  in  your  way." 

"  But  you  have  never  asked  me  as  to  my  means,  or 
286 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  287 

my  power  to  support  her,"  I  said,  putting  his  last  re 
mark  aside  as  if  I  had  not  heard  it. 

"  I  have  not,"  he  answered.  "  There  is  no  need 
for  me  to  do  so.  Your  means  are  well  known  to  me; 
besides,  it  has  always  been  my  intention  to  make  pro 
vision  for  Valerie  myself.  Provided  you  behave  your 
selves,  and  do  not  play  me  any  more  tricks  such  as  I 
had  to  complain  of  in  Hamburg,  you  will  find  that  she 
will  bring  you  a  handsome  little  nest-egg  that  will 
make  it  quite  unnecessary  for  you  ever  to  feel  any 
anxiety  on  the  score  of  money.  But  we  will  discuss 
all  that  more  fully  later  on.  See,  here  are  a  number  of 
invitations  that  have  arrived  for  us.  It  looks  as  if  we 
are  not  likely  to  be  dull  during  our  stay  in  London." 

So  saying,  he  placed  upwards  of  fifty  envelopes  be 
fore  me,  many  of  which  I  was  surprised  to  find  were 
addressed  to  myself.  These  I  opened  with  the  first 
feeling  of  a  return  to  my  old  social  life  that  I  had 
experienced  since  I  had  re-entered  London.  The  in 
vitations  hailed,  for  the  most  part,  from  old  friends. 
Some  were  for  dinners,  others  for  musical  "  at  homes," 
while  at  least  a  dozen  were  for  dances,  one  of  the  last- 
named  being  from  the  Duchess  of  Amersham. 

""  I  have  taken  the  liberty  of  accepting  that  on 
your  behalf,"  said  Pharos,  picking  the  card  up.  "  The 
Duchess  of  Amersham  and  I  are  old  friends,  and  I 
think  it  will  brighten  Valerie  and  yourself  .up  a  little  if 
we  look  in  at  her  ball  for  an  hour  or  so  to-night." 

"  But  surely,"  I  said,  "  we  have  only  just  reached 

London,  and '"  Here  I  paused,  not  knowing  quite 

how  to  proceed. 

"  What  objection  have  you  to  raise? "  he  asked, 
with  a  sudden  flash  of  the  old  angry  look  in  his  eyes. 

"  My  only  objection  was  that  I  thought  it  a  little 
dangerous,"  I  said.  "  On  your  own  confession,  it  was 


288  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

the  plague  from  which  Valerie  was  suffering  in  Ham 
burg." 

Pharos  laughed  a  short,  harsh  laugh,  that  grated 
upon  the  ear. 

"  You  must  really  forgive  me,  Forrester,  for  having 
deceived  you,"  he  said,  "  but  I  had  to  do  it.  It  was 
necessary  for  me  to  use  any  means  I  could  think  of  for 
getting  you  to  England.  As  you  have  reason  to  know, 
Valerie  is  possessed  of  a  peculiarly  sensitive  tempera 
ment.  She  is  easily  influenced,  particularly  by  myself, 
and  the  effect  can  be  achieved  at  any  distance.  If  I 
were  in  London  and  she  in  Vienna,  I  could,  by  merely 
exercising  my  will,  not  only  induce  her  to  do  anything 
I  might  wish,  but  could  make  her  bodily  health  ex 
actly  what  I  pleased.  You  will  therefore  see  that  it 
would  be  an  easy  task  for  me  to  cause  her  to  be  taken 
ill  in  Hamburg.  Her  second  self — that  portion  of  her 
mind  which  is  so  susceptible  to  my  influence,  as  you 
saw  for  yourself — witnessed  my  arrival  in  Prague  and 
at  the  hotel.  As  soon  as  I  entered  the  room  in  which 
she  was  waiting  for  me,  the  attraction  culminated  in  a 
species  of  fainting  fit.  I  despatched  you  post  haste 
to  a  chemist  with  a  prescription  which  I  thought  would 
be  extremely  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  for  you  to  get 
made  up.  At  any  rate  it  would,  I  knew,  serve  my  pur 
pose  if  it  kept  you  some  time  away." 

"  Then  you  mean  that  while  I  was  hurrying  from 
place  to  place  like  a  madman,  suffering  untold  agonies 
of  fear,  and  believing  that  Valerie's  life  depended  upon 
my  speed,  you  were  in  reality  deceiving  me?  " 

"  If  I  am  to  be  truthful,  I  must  confess  that  I  was," 
he  replied;  "but  I  give  you  my  word  the  motive  was 
a  good  one.  Had  I  not  done  so,  who  knows  what  would 
have  happened?  The  plague  was  raging  on  the  Con 
tinent,  and  you  were  both  bent  on  getting  away  from 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  289 

me  again  on  the  first  opportunity.  What  was  the  re 
sult?  Working  on  your  fears  for  her,  I  managed  to 
overcome  the  difficulties  and  got  you  safely  into  Eng 
land.  Valerie  has  not  been  so  ill  as  you  supposed.  I 
have  sanctioned  your  engagement,  and,  as  I  said  just 
now,  if  you  will  let  me,  will  provide  for  you  both  for 
life,  and  will  assist  in  lifting  you  to  the  highest  pin 
nacle  of  fame.  After  this  explanation,  surely  you  are 
not  going  to  be  ungenerous  enough  to  still  feel  vindic 
tive  against  me  ?  " 

"  It  was  a  cruel  trick  to  play  me,"  I  answered;  "  but 
since  the  result  has  not  been  so  serious  as  I  supposed, 
and  you  desire  me  to  believe  you  did  it  all  with  a  good 
object,  I  will  endeavour  to  think  no  more  about  it." 

"  You  have  decided  sensibly,"  he  said.  "  And  now 
let  us  arrange  what  we  shall  do  this  evening.  My  pro 
posal  is  that  we  rest  this  afternoon,  that  you  dine  with 
me  at  my  club,  the  Antiquarian,  in  the  evening,  and 
that  afterwards  I  show  you  London  as  I  see  it  in  my 
character  of  Pharos  the  Egyptian.  I  think  you  will 
find  the  programme  both  interesting  and  instructive. 
During  the  evening  we  might  return  here,  pick  Valerie 
up,  and  go  on  to  the  Duchess  of  Amersham's  ball. 
Does  that  meet  with  your  approval  ?  " 

I  was  so  relieved  at  finding  that  Valerie  had  not 
really  been  attacked  by  the  plague,  that,  however  much 
I  should  have  liked  to  spend  the  evening  alone  with 
her,  I  could  see  no  reason  for  declining  Pharos's  in 
vitation.  I  accordingly  stated  that  I  should  be  very 
glad  to  do  as  he  wished. 

We  followed  out  his  plan  to  the  letter.  After  lunch 
we  retired  to  our  respective  apartments  and  rested 
until  it  was  time  to  prepare  for  the  evening.  At  the 
hour  appointed  I  descended  to  the  drawing-room,  where 
I  found  Pharos  awaiting  me.  He  was  dressed  as  I  had 


290  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

seen  him  at  Lady  Medenham's  well-remembered  "  at 
home  " — that  is  to  say,  he  wore  his  velvet  jacket  and 
black  skull  cap,  and,  as  usual,  carried  his  gold-topped 
walking-stick  in  his  hand. 

"  The  carriage  is  at  the  door,  I  think/'  he  said  as 
I  entered,  "  so  if  you  are  ready  we  will  set  off." 

A  neat  brougham  was  drawn  up  beside  the  pave 
ment;  we  took  our  places  in  it,  and  ten  minutes  later 
had  reached  the  Antiquarian  Club,  of  all  the  establish 
ments  of  the  kind  in  London  perhaps  the  most  mag 
nificent.  Wide  and  lofty,  and  yet  boasting  the  most 
harmonious  proportions,  the  dining-room  at  the  An 
tiquarian  Club  always  remains  in  my  mind  the  most 
stately  of  the  many  stately  banqueting  halls  in  London. 
Pharos's  preference,  I  found,  was  for  a  table  in  one  of 
the  large  windows  overlooking  the  Embankment  and 
the  river,  and  this  had  accordingly  been  prepared  for 
him. 

"  If  you  will  sit  there,"  said  Pharos,  motioning  with 
his  hand  to  a  chair  on  the  right,  "  I  will  take  this  one 
opposite  you." 

I  accordingly  seated  myself  in  the  place  he  indi 
cated. 

The  dinner  was  perfect  in  every  respect.  My  host 
himself,  however,  dined  after  his  own  fashion,  in  the 
manner  I  have  elsewhere  described.  Nevertheless,  he 
did  the  honours  of  the  table  with  the  most  perfect 
grace,  and  had  any  stranger  been  watching  us,  he  would 
have  found  it  difficult  to  believe  that  the  relationship 
existing  between  us  was  not  of  the  most  cordial  nature 
possible. 

By  eight  o'clock  the  room  was  crowded,  and  with 
as  fine  a  collection  of  well-born,  well-dressed,  and  well- 
mannered  men  as  could  be  found  in  London.  The 
decorations,  the  portraits  upon  the  walls,  the  liveried 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  291 

servants,  the  snowy  drapery  and  sparkling  silver,  all 
helped  to  make  up  a  picture  that,  after  the  sordidness 
of  the  Margrave  of  Brandenburg,  was  like  a  glimpse  of 
a  new  life. 

"  This  is  the  first  side  of  that  London  life  I  am  de 
sirous  of  presenting  to  you,"  said  Pharos,  in  his  ca 
pacity  of  showman,  after  I  had  finished  my  dessert  and 
had  enjoyed  a  couple  of  glasses  of  the  famous  An 
tiquarian  port — "  one  side  of  that  luxury  and  extrava 
gance  which  is  fast  drawing  this  great  city  to  its  doom. 
Now,  if  you  have  quite  finished,  we  might  move  on." 

I  acquiesced,  and  we  accordingly  descended  to  the 
hall  and  donned  our  coats. 

"  If  you  would  care  to  smoke,  permit  me  to  offer 
you  one  of  the  same  brand  of  cigarettes  of  which  you 
expressed  you  approval  in  Naples,"  said  Pharos,  pro 
ducing  from  his  pocket  a  silver  case,  which  he  handed 
to  me.  I  took  one  of  the  delicacies  it  contained  and 
lit  it.  Then  we  passed  out  of  the  hall  to  Pharos's  own 
carriage,  which  was  waiting  in  the  street  for  us.  "  We 
will  now  return  to  pick  up  Valerie,  after  which  we  will 
drive  to  Amersham  House,  where  I  have  no  doubt  we 
shall  meet  many  of  those  whom  we  have  seen  here  to 
night." 

We  found  Valerie  awaiting  us  in  the  drawing-room. 
She  was  dressed  for  the  ball,  and,  superb  as  I  thought 
she  looked  on  the  evening  she  had  been  presented  to  the 
Emperor  in  Prague,  I  had  to  confess  to  myself  that 
she  was  even  more  beautiful  now.  Her  face  was  flushed 
with  excitement,  and  her  lovely  eyes  sparkled  like  twin 
stars.  I  hastened  to  congratulate  her  on  her  altered 
appearance,  and  had  scarcely  done  so  before  the  butler 
announced  that  the  carriage  was  at  the  door,  where 
upon  we  departed  for  Carlton  House  Terrace. 

On  the  subject  of  the  ball  itself  it  is  not  my  inten- 


292  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN". 

tion  to  say  very  much;  let  it  suffice  that,  possibly  by 
reason  of  what  followed  later,  it  is  talked  of  to  this 
day.  The  arrangements  were  of  the  most  sumptuous 
and  extravagant  description;  princes  of  the  blood  and 
their  wives  were  present,  Cabinet  Ministers  jostled 
burly  country  squires  upon  the  staircase,  fair  but 
haughty  aristocrats  rubbed  shoulders  with  the  daugh 
ters  of  American  millionaires,  whose  money  had  been 
made  goodness  knows  where  or  how;  half  the  celebrities 
of  England  nodded  to  the  other  half;  but  in  all  that 
distinguished  company  there  was  no  woman  to  eclipse 
Valerie  in  beaut}",  and,  as  another  side  of  the  picture, 
no  man  who  could  equal  Pharos  in  ugliness.  Much  to 
my  astonishment  the  latter  seemed  to  have  no  lack  of 
acquaintances,  and  I  noticed  also  that  everyone  with 
whom  he  talked,  though  they  paid  the  most  servile  at 
tention  to  his  remarks  while  he  was  with  them,  invaria 
bly  heaved  a  sigh  of  relief  when  he  took  his  departure. 

At  two  o'clock  Valerie  was  tired,  and  we  accordingly 
decided  to  leave.  But  I  soon  found  that  it  was  not  to 
return  home.  Having  placed  my  darling  in  her  car 
riage,  Pharos  directed  the  coachman  to  drive  to  Park 
Lane,  declaring  that  we  preferred  to  walk. 

It  was  a  beautiful  night,  cool  and  fresh,  with  a  few 
clouds  in  the  southwest,  but  brilliant  starlight  over 
head.  Leaving  Carltoii  House  Terrace,  we  passed  into 
Waterloo  Place,  ascended  it  as  far  as  Piccadilly,  and 
then  hailed  a  cab. 

"  Our  evening  is  not  completed  yet,"  said  Pharos. 
"  I  have  still  some  places  to  show  you.  It  is  necessary 
that  you  should  see  them,  in  order  that  you  may  appre 
ciate  what  is  to  follow.  The  first  will  be  a  fancy  dress 
ball  at  Covent  Garden,  where  yet  another  side  of  Lon 
don  life  is  to  be  found." 

If  such  a  thing  could  possibly  have  had  any  effect, 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  293 

I  should  have  objected;  but  so  completely  did  his  will 
dominate  mine,  that  I  had  no  option  but  to  consent  to 
anything  he  proposed.  We  accordingly  stepped  into 
the  cab  and  were  driven  off  to  the  place  indicated. 
From  the  sounds  which  issued  from  the  great  building 
as  we  entered  it,  it  was  plain  that  the  ball  was  proceed 
ing  with  its  accustomed  vigour,  a  surmise  on  our  part 
which  proved  to  be  correct  when  we  reached  the  box 
Pharos  had  bespoken.  A  floor  had  been  laid  over  the 
stalls  and  pit,  and  upon  this  upwards  of  fifteen  hun 
dred  dancers,  in  every  style  of  fancy  dress  the  ingenu 
ity  of  man  could  contrive,  were  slowly  revolving  to  the 
music  of  a  military  band.  It  was  a  curious  sight,  and 
at  any  other  time  would  have  caused  me  considerable 
amusement.  Xow,  however,  with  the  fiendish  face  of 
Pharos  continually  at  my  elbow,  and  his  carping  criti 
cisms  sounding  without  ceasing  in  my  ear,  mocking 
at  the  people  below  us,  finding  evil  in  everything,  and 
hinting  always  at  the  doom  which  was  hanging  over 
London,  it  reminded  me  more  of  Dante's  Inferno  than 
anything  else  to  which  I  could  liken  it.  For  upwards 
of  an  hour  we  remained  spectators  of  it.  Then,  with 
a  final  sneer,  Pharos  gave  the  signal  for  departure. 

"  We  have  seen  the  finest  club  in  Furope,"  he  said, 
as  we  emerged  into  the  cool  air  of  Bow  Street,  "  the 
most  fashionable  social  event  of  the  season,  and  a  fancy 
dress  ball  at  Covent  Garden.  We  must  now  descend  a 
grade  lower,  and,  if  yon  have  no  objection,  we  will  go 
in  search  of  it  on  foot  ?  " 

I  had  nothing  to  urge  against  this  suggestion,  so, 
turning  into  Long  Acre,  we  passed  through  a  number 
of  squalid  streets,  with  all  of  which  Pharos  seemed  to 
be  as  intimately  acquainted  as  he  was  in  the  West-end, 
and  finally  approached  the  region  of  Seven  Dials — that 
delectable  neighbourhood  bordered  on  the  one  side  by 


294:  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

Shaftesbury  Avenue,  and  on  the  other  by  Drury  Lane. 
Here,  though  it  was  by  this  time  close  upon  three 
o'clock,  no  one  seemed  to  have  begun  to  think  of  bed. 
In  one  narrow  alley  through  which  we  were  compelled 
to  pass  at  least  thirty  people  were  assembled,  more  than 
half  of  which  number  were  intoxicated.  A  woman  was 
screaming  for  assistance  from  a  house  across  the  way, 
and  a  couple  of  men  were  fighting  at  the  further  end 
of  an  adjoining  court.  In  this  particular  locality  the 
police  seemed  as  extinct  as  the  dodo.  At  any  other 
time,  and  in  any  other  company,  I  should  have  felt 
some  doubt  as  to  the  wisdom  of  being  in  such  a  place 
at  such  an  hour.  But  with  my  present  companion  be 
side  me  1  felt  no  fear. 

We  had  walked  some  distance  before  we  reached  the 
house  Pharos  desired  to  visit.  From  its  outward  ap 
pearance  it  might  have  been  a  small  drinking-shop  in 
the  daytime;  now,  however,  every  window  was  closely 
shuttered,  and  not  a  ray  of  light  showed  through  chink 
or  cranny.  Approaching  the  door  he  knocked  four 
times  upon  it,  whereupon  it  was  opened  on  a  chain  for 
a  few  inches.  A  face  looked  through  the  aperture 
thus  created,  and  Pharos,  moving  a  little  closer,  said 
something  in  a  whisper  to  it. 

"  Beg  pardon,  sir,"  said  the  woman,  for  a  woman  I 
soon  discovered  it  was.  "  I  didn't  know  as  it  was  you. 
I'll  undo  the  chain.  Is  the  gentleman  with  you  safe?  " 

"  Quite  safe,"  Pharos  replied.  "  You  need  have  no 
fear  of  him.  He  is  my  friend." 

"  In  you  come,  then,"  said  the  woman  to  me,  my 
character  being  thus  vouched  for,  and  accordingly  in 
I  stepped. 

Dirty  as  were  the  streets  outside,  the  house  in  which 
we  now  stood  more  than  equalled  them.  The  home  of 
Captain  Wisemann  in  Hamburg,  which  I  had  up  to 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  295 

that  time  thought  the  filthiest  I  had  ever  seen,  was 
nothing  to  it.  Taking  the  candle  in  her  hand,  the  old 
woman  led  us  along  the  passage  toward  another  door. 
Before  this  she  paused  and  rang  a  bell,  the  handle  of 
which  was  cleverly  concealed  in  the  woodwork.  Al 
most  instantly  it  was  opened,  and  we  entered  a  room 
the  like  of  which  I  had  never  seen  or  dreamt  of  before. 
Its  length  was  fully  thirty  feet,  its  width  possibly  fif 
teen.  On  the  wall  above  the  fireplace  was  a  gas  bracket, 
from  the  burner  of  which  a  large  flame  was  issuing 
with  a  hissing  noise.  In  the  center  of  the  room  was  a 
table,  and  seated  round  it  were  at  least  twenty  men  and 
women,  who,  at  the  moment  of  our  entering,  were  en 
gaged  upon  a  game  the  elements  of  which  I  did  not 
understand.  On  seeing  us  the  players  sprang  to  their 
feet  with  one  accord,  and  a  scramble  ensued  for  the 
money  upon  the  table.  A  scene  of  general  excitement 
followed,  which  might  very  well  have  ended  in  the  gas 
being  turned  out  and  our  finding  ourselves  upon  the 
floor  with  knives  between  our  ribs,  had  not  the  old 
woman  who  had  introduced  us  called  out  that  there 
was  no  need  for  alarm,  and  added,  with  an  oath — what 
might  in  Pharos's  case  possibly  have  been  true,  but  in 
mine  was  certainly  not — that  we  had  been  there  hun 
dreds  of  times  before,  and  were  proper  sort  o'  gents. 
Thereupon  Pharos  contributed  a  sovereign  to  be  spent 
in  liquid  refreshment,  and  when  our  healths  had  been 
drunk  with  a  variety  of  toasts  intended  to  be  compli 
mentary,  our  presence  was  forgotten,  and  the  game 
once  more  proceeded.  One  thing  was  self-evident: 
there  was  no  lack  of  money  among  those  present,  and 
when  a  member  of  the  company  had  not  the  where 
withal  to  continue  the  gamble,  he  in  most  cases  pro-1 
duced  a  gold  watch,  a  ring,  or  some  other  valuable 
from  his  pocket,  and  handed  it  to  a  burly  ruffian  at  the 


296  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

head  of  the  table,  who  advanced  him  an  amount  upon 
it  which  nine  times  out  of  ten  failed  to  meet  with  his 
approval. 

"  Seeing  you  have  not  been  here  before/'  said  Pha 
ros,  "  I  might  explain  that  this  is  the  most  typical 
thieves'  gambling  hell  in  London.  There  is  not  a  man 
or  woman  in  this  room  at  the  present  moment  who  is 
not  a  hardened  criminal  in  every  sense  of  the  word. 
The  fellow  at  the  end  narrowly  escaped  the  gallows, 
the  man  on  his  right  has  but  lately  emerged  from  seven 
years'  penal  servitude  for  burglary.  The  three  sitting 
together  next  the  banker  are  at  the  present  moment 
badly  wanted  by  the  police,  while  the  old  woman  who 
admitted  us,  and  who  was  once  not  only  a  celebrated 
variety  actress,  but  an  exceedingly  beautiful  woman, 
is  the  mother  of  that  sickly  youth  drinking  gin  beside 
the  fireplace,  who  assisted  in  the  murder  of  an  old  man 
in  Shaftesbury  Avenue  a  fortnight  or  so  ago,  and  will 
certainly  be  captured  and  brought  within  measurable 
distance  of  the  gallows  before  many  more  weeks  have 
passed  over  his  head.  Have  you  seen  enough  of  this  to 
satisfy  you?  " 

"  More  than  enough,"  I  answered  truthfully. 

"  Then  let  us  leave.  It  will  soon  be  daylight,  and 
there  are  still  many  places  for  us  to  visit  before  we  re 
turn  home." 

We  accordingly  bade  the  occupants  of  the  room 
good-night,  and,  when  we  had  been  escorted  to  the 
door  by  the  old  woman  who  had  admitted  us,  left  the 
house. 

From  the  neighbourhood  of  Seven  Dials  Pharos 
carried  me  off  to  other  equally  sad  and  disreputable 
quarters  of  the  city.  "We  visited  Salvation  Army  Shel 
ters,  the  cheapest  of  cheap  lodging-houses,  doss-houses 
in  comparison  to  which  a  workhouse  would  be  a  palace; 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  297 

dark  railway  arches,  where  we  found  homeless  men, 
women,  and  children  endeavouring  to  snatch  intervals 
of  rest  between  the  visits  of  patrolling  policemen;  the 
public  parks,  where  the  grass  was  dotted  with  recum 
bent  forms,  and  every  seat  was  occupied;  and  then, 
turning  homewards,  reached  Park  Lane  just  as  the 
clocks  were  striking  seven,  as  far  as  I  was  concerned 
sick  to  the  heart,  not  only  of  the  sorrow  and  the  sin 
of  London,  but  of  the  callous  indifference  to  it  dis 
played  by  Pharos. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

WHEN  I  woke  next  morning  the  feeling  I  had  had 
in  my  heart  the  evening  before,  that  something  terrible 
was  about  to  happen,  had  not  left  me.  With  a  shudder 
of  intense  disgust  I  recalled  the  events  of  the  previous 
night.  Never,  since  I  had  known  him,  with  the  ex 
ception  of  that  one  occasion  on  the  Embankment,,  had 
Pharos  appeared  so  loathsome  to  me.  I  remembered 
the  mocking  voice  in  which  he  had  pointed  out  to  me 
the  follies  and  frailties  of  our  great  city,  the  cruel  look 
in  his  eyes  as  he  watched  those  about  him  in  the  differ 
ent  places  we  had  visited.  For  the  life  of  me  I  could 
not  comprehend  what  his  object  had  been  in  taking  me 
to  them.  While  I  dressed  I  debated  the  subject  with 
myself,  but  though  I  had  a  very  shrewd  suspicion  that 
the  vengeance  to  which  he  alluded,  and  which  he  had 
declared  to  be  so  imminent,  was  the  plague,  yet  I  could 
not  see  how  he  was  able  to  speak  with  such  authority 
upon  the  subject.  On  the  other  hand,  I  had  to  remem 
ber  that  I  had  never  yet  known  him  fail,  either  in  what 
he  had  predicted,  or  anything  he  had  set  himself  to  do. 
Having  got  so  far  in  my  calculations  I  stopped,  as  an 
other  thought  occurred  to  me,  and  with  my  brushes 
still  in  either  hand  stared  at  the  wall  before  me.  From 
the  fact  that  he  had  informed  me  of  the  existence  of 
the  plague  in  London  it  was  certain  that  he  knew  of 
it,  though  the  authorities  did  not.  Could  it  be  pos 
sible,  therefore,  that  he  had  simply  crossed  from  the 
298 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  299 

Continent  to  London  in  order  to  be  able  to  gloat  over 
the  misery  that  was  to  come? 

The  diabolical  nature  of  the  man,  and  his  love  of 
witnessing  the  sufferings  of  others,  tallied  exactly  with 
the  conclusion  I  had  arrived  at;  and  if  my  reasoning 
were  correct,  this  would  account  for  the  expression  of 
triumph  I  had  seen  upon  his  face.  When  I  descended 
to  the  breakfast-room  I  found  Valerie  awaiting  me 
there.  She  was  looking  quite  her  own  self  again  by 
this  time,  and  greeted  me  with  a  pretty  exhibition  of 
shyness  upon  her  face,  which  I  could  understand  when 
she  handed  me  a  number  of  letters  she  had  received, 
congratulating  her  upon  our  engagement. 

"  You  were  late  last  night,"  she  said.  "  Hour  after 
hour  I  lay  awake  listening  for  your  step,  and  it  was 
broad  daylight  when  I  heard  you  ascend  the  stairs.  I 
cannot  tell  you  how  frightened  I  was  while  you  were 
away.  I  knew  you  were  with  him,  and  I  imagined  you 
exposed  to  a  hundred  dangers." 

I  told  her  where  and  with  whom  I  had  been. 

"  But  why  did  he  take  you  with  him  ?  "  she  in 
quired,  when  I  had  finished.  "  I  cannot  understand 
that." 

"  I  must  confess  that  it  has  puzzled  me  also,"  I 
replied. 

The  whole  thing  is  very  strange,"  she  continued, 
"  and  I  do  not  like  the  look  of  it.  We  have  reason  to 
know  that  he  does  nothing  without  a  motive.  But  what 
can  the  motive  have  been  in  this  particular  instance?  " 

"  That  is  more  than  I  can  say,"  I  answered,  and 
with  that  we  changed  the  subject,  and  interested  our 
selves  in  our  own  and  more  particular  concerns.  So 
engrossing  were  they,  and  so  pleasant  were  the  thoughts 
they  conjured  up,  that  when  breakfast  was  finished  I 
remained  in  the  dining-room,  and  did  not  open  any  of 


300  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

the  morning  papers  which  were  lying  in  a  heap  upon 
the  library  table.  At  half-past  ten  I  said  good-bye  to 
Valerie,  who  was  practising  in  the  drawing-room — 
Pharos  I  had  not  yet  seen — and,  putting  on  my  hat, 
left  the  house.  It  was  the  first  opportunity  I  had  had 
since  my  return  to  London  of  visiting  my  studio,  and 
I  was  exceedingly  anxious  to  discover  how  things  had 
been  progressing  there  during  my  absence.  It  was  a 
lovely  morning  for  walking,  the  sky  being  without  a 
cloud,  and  the  streets  in  consequence  filled  with  sun 
shine.  In  the  Row  a  considerable  number  of  men  and 
women  were  enjoying  their  morning  canter,  and  nurse 
maids  in  white  dresses  were  to  be  counted  by  the  dozen 
in  the  streets  leading  to  the  Park.  At  the  corner  of 
Hamilton  Place  a  voice  I  recognised  called  to  me  to 
stop,  .and  on  turning  round  I  found  my  old  friend,  Sir 
George  Legrath,  hastening  after  me. 

"  My  dear  Cyril,"  he  said,  as  he  shook  hands  with 
me,  "  I  am  indeed  glad  to  see  you.  I  had  no  idea  you 
had  returned." 

"  I  reached  London  yesterday  morning,"  I  an 
swered,  but  in  such  a  constrained  voice  that  he  must 
have  been  dense  indeed  if  he  did  not  see  that  something 
was  amiss.  "  How  did  you  know  I  had  been  away?  " 

"  Why,  my  dear  fellow,"  he  answered,  "  have  you 
forgotten  that  I  sent  you  a  certain  address  in  Naples? 
and  then  I  called  at  your  studio  the  following  morning, 
when  your  man  told  me  you  were  abroad.  But  some 
how  you  don't  look  well.  I  hope  nothing  is  the 
matter?  " 

"  Nothing,  nothing,"  I  replied,  almost  sharply,  and 
for  the  first  time  in  my  life  his  presence  was  almost  dis 
tasteful  to  me,  though  if  I  had  been  asked  the  reason  I 
should  have  found  it  difficult  to  say  why.  "  Sir 
George,  when  I  called  on  you  at  the  Museum  that 


PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN.  301 

morning,  you  told  me  you  would  rather  see  me  in  my 
grave  than  connected  in  any  way  with  Pharos." 

"  Well  ?  "  he  inquired,  looking  up  at  me  with  a  face 
that  had  suddenly  lost  its  usual  ruddy  hue.  "  What 
makes  you  remind  me  of  that  now?" 

"  Because,"  I  answered,  "  if  it  were  not  for  one  per 
son's  sake  I  could  wish  that  that  opportunity  had  been 
vouchsafed  you.  I  have  been  two  months  with  Pha 
ros." 

"Well?  "he  said  again. 

"  What  more  do  you  expect  me  to  say  ?  "  I  con 
tinued.  Then,  sinking  my  voice  a  little,  as  if  I  were 
afraid  Pharos  might  be  within  hearing  distance,  I 
added,  "  Sir  George,  if  I  were  to  tell  you  all  I  know 
about  that  man " 

"  You  must  tell  me  nothing,"  he  cried  hastily.  "  I 
know  too  much  already." 

We  walked  for  some  distance  in  silence,  and  it  was 
not  until  we  were  opposite  Devonshire  House  that  we 
spoke  again. 

Then  Sir  George  said  abruptly,  and  with  a  desire  to 
change  the  subject  that  could  not  be  disguised,  "  Of 
course  you  have  heard  the  terrible  news  this  morning?  " 

Following  the  direction  of  his  eyes  I  saw  what  had 
put  the  notion  into  his  head.  A  news-seller  was  stand 
ing  in  the  gutter  on  the  other  side  of  the  street,  hold 
ing  in  his  hand  the  usual  placard  setting  forth  the  con 
tents  of  the  papers  he  had  for  sale.  On  this  was 
printed  in  large  letters — 

TERRIBLE    OUTBREAK    OF    THE    PLAGUE 
IN  LONDON. 

"  You  refer  to  the  plague,  I  presume?  "  I  said,  with 
an  assumed  calmness  I  was  far  from  feeling.     "  From 
20 


302  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

that  headline  it  would  seern  to  have  made  its  appear 
ance  in  London  after  all." 

"  It  has,  indeed,"  said  Sir  George,  with  a  gloomi 
ness  that  was  far  from  usual  with  him.  "  Can  it  be 
possible  you  have  not  seen  the  papers?  " 

"  I  have  scarcely  seen  a  paper  since  I  left  London," 
I  replied.  "  I  have  been  far  too  busy.  Tell  me  about 
it.  is  it  so  very  bad?  " 

"  It  has  come  upon  us  like  a  thunderclap,"  he  an 
swered.  "  Two  days  ago  it  was  not  known.  Yesterday 
there  was  but  one  case,  and  that  in  the  country.  This 
morning  there  are  no  less  than  three  hundred  and 
seventy-five,  and  among  them  some  of  our  most  inti 
mate  friends.  God  help  us  if  it  gets  worse!  The  au 
thorities  assure  us  they  can  stamp  it  out  with  ease,  but 
it  is  my  opinion  this  is  destined  to  prove  a  grave  crisis 
in  England's  history.  However,  it  does  not  do  to  look 
on  the  black  side  of  things,  so  I'll  not  turn  prophet. 
Our  ways  part  here,  do  they  not?  In  that  case,  good 
bye.  1  am  very  glad  to  have  seen  you.  If  you  should 
be  passing  the  Museum  I  hope  you  will  drop  in.  You 
know  my  hours,  I  think  ?  " 

"  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  do  so,"  I  answered,  and 
thereupon  we  parted  with  the  first  shadow  of  a  cloud 
between  us  that  our  lives  had  seen.  On  reviewing  our 
conversation  afterward  I  could  recall  nothing  that 
should  have  occasioned  it;  nevertheless,  there  it  was, 
"  that  little  rift  within  the  lute,"  as  Tennyson  says, 
"  which  by  and  by  would  make  the  music  mute." 

After  we  had  parted,  I  crossed  the  road  and  walked 
by  way  of  Dover  Street  to  my  studio.  Scarcely  two 
months  had  elapsed  since  that  fatal  day  when  I  had 
left  it  to  go  in  search  of  Pharos,  and  yet  those  eight 
weeks  seemed  like  years.  So  long  did  I  seem  to  have 
been  away  that  I  almost  expected  to  find  a  change  in 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN".  303 

the  houses  of  the  street,  and  when  I  passed  the  curi 
osity  shop  at  the  corner  where  the  murder  had  taken 
place — that  terrible  tragedy  which  had  been  the  pri 
mary  cause  of  my  falling  into  Pharos's  power — it  was 
with  a  sensible  feeling  of  surprise  I  found  the  windows 
still  decorated  with  the  same  specimens  of  china,  and 
the  shop  still  carrying  on  its  trade  under  the  name  of 
Clausand.  I  turned  the  corner  and  crossed  the  road. 
Instinctively  my  hand  went  into  my  pocket  and  pro 
duced  the  latchkey.  I  tapped  it  twice  against  the 
right-hand  pillar  of  the  door,  just  as  I  had  been  in 
the  habit  of  doing  for  years,  and  inserted  it  in  the 
lock.  A  few  seconds  later  I  had  let  myself  in  and  was 
standing  amongst  my  own  lares  and  penates  once  more. 
Everything  was  just  as  I  had  left  it;  the  clock  was 
ticking  on  the  mantelpiece,  not  a  speck  of  dirt  or  dust 
was  upon  chair  or  china;  indeed,  the  only  thing  that 
served  to  remind  me  that  I  had  been  away  at  all  was 
the  pile  of  letters  which  had  been  neatly  arranged 
upon  my  writing-table.  These  I  opened,  destroyed 
what  were  of  no  importance,  and  placed  the  rest  in  my 
pocket  to  be  answered  at  a  more  convenient  opportuni 
ty.  Then,  leaving  a  note  upon  my  table  to  inform  my 
servant  that  I  had  returned,  and  would  call  again  on 
the  following  morning,  I  let  myself  out,  locked  the 
door,  and  returned  to  Piccadilly  en  route  to  Park 
Lane. 

A  great  writer  has  mentioned  somewhere  that  the 
gravest  issues  are  often  determined  by  the  most  insig 
nificant  trifles.  As  I  have  just  remarked,  I  had,  in  this 
instance,  made  up  my  mind  to  return  to  Park  Lane,  in 
the  hope  that  I  might  be  able  to  induce  Valerie  tn  fake 
a  stroll  with  me  in  the  Park,  and  had  left  Bond  Street  in 
order  to  turn  westward,  when,  emerging  from  a  shop  on 
the  other  side  of  the  road,  I  espied  the  writer  of  one  of 


30-i  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

the  most  important  of  the  many  letters  I  had  found 
awaiting  me  at  the  studio.  He  was  a  member  of  my 
own  club,  and  thinking  I  had  better  apologise  to  him 
while  I  had  the  chance  for  not  having  answered  his 
letter  sooner,  I  hastened  after  him.  He,  however, 
seemed  to  be  in  a  hurry,  and  as  soon  as  it  came  to  a 
race  between  us  it  was  evident  that  he  had  the  advan 
tage  of  me  on  a  point  of  speed.  I  chased  him  until  I 
saw  that  he  was  bound  for  the  club,  whereupon,  know 
ing  I  should  be  certain  to  catch  him  there,  I  slackened 
my  pace  and  strolled  leisurely  along.  In  other  days  I 
had  often  been  twitted  in  a  jocular  fashion  by  my 
friends  about  my  membership  of  this  particular  club. 
The  reputation  it  possessed  was  excellent  in  every  way, 
but  it  certainly  must  be  confessed  that  what  it  gained 
in  respectability  it  lacked  in  liveliness.  For  the  most 
part  the  men  who  made  use  of  it  were  middle-aged — in 
point  of  fact,  I  believe  there  were  but  two  younger  than 
myself;  consequently  the  atmosphere  of  the  house, 
while  being  always  dignified,  was  sometimes  cold  almost 
to  the  borders  of  iciness. 

On  this  particular  day  there  was  an  additional  air 
of  gloom  about  it  that  rather  puzzled  me.  When, 
however,  I  had  finished  my  conversation  with  the  man 
I  had  been  following,  and  sought  the  smoking-room, 
the  reason  of  it  soon  became  apparent.  That  terrible 
fear  which  was  destined  within  a  few  hours  to  paralyse 
all  London  was  already  beginning  to  make  its  pres 
ence  felt,  and  as  a  result  the  room,  usually  so  crowded, 
now  contained  but  four  men.  These  greeted  me  civilly 
enough,  but  without  any  show  of  interest.  They  were 
gathered  round  one  of  their  number  who  was  seated  at 
a  table  with  a  pencil  in  his  hand  and  a  map  of  Europe 
spread  out  before  him.  From  the  way  in  which  he 
was  laying  down  the  law,  I  gathered  that  he  was  de- 


PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN.  305 

monstrating  some  theory  upon  which  he  pinned  con 
siderable  faith. 

"  1  have  worked  the  whole  thing  out,"  he  was  say 
ing  as  I  entered,  "  and  you  can  see  it  here  for  your 
selves.  On  this  sheet  of  paper  I  have  pasted  every  tele 
gram  that  has  rached  London  from  the  time  the  disease 
first  made  its  appearance  in  Constantinople.  As  each 
country  became  affected  I  coloured  it  upon  the  map  in 
red,  while  these  spots  of  a  darker  shade  represent  the 
towns  from  which  the  first  cases  were  notified.  At  a 
glance,  therefore,  you  can  see  the  way  in  which  the 
malady  has  travelled  across  Europe." 

On  hearing  this,  you  may  be  sure  I  drew  closer  to 
the  table,  and  looked  over  the  shoulders  of  the  men  at 
the  map  below. 

"  As  you  see,"  said  the  lecturer,  with  renewed  inter 
est  as  he  observed  this  addition  to  his  audience,  "  it 
started  in  Constantinople,  made  its  appearance  next  in 
Southern  Russia  and  the  Balkan  States.  Two  days  later 
a  case  was  notified  from  Vienna  and  another  in  Prague. 
Berlin  was  the  next  city  visited,  then  Wittenberg,  then 
Hamburg.  France  did  not  become  infected  until  some 
days  later,  and  then  the  individual  who  brought  it  was 
proved  to  have  arrived  the  day  before  from  Berlin. 
Yesterday,  according  to  the  official  returns,  there  were 
twelve  hundred  cases  in  France,  eighteen  thousand  in 
Austria,  sixteen  thousand  in  Germany — of  which  Ham 
burg  alone  contributes  five  thousand  three  hundred  and 
fifty — while  in  Italy  there  have  been  three  thousand 
four  hundred,  in  Spain  and  Portugal  only  two  hundred 
and  thirty,  while  Turkey  and  Eussia  have  forty-five 
thousand,  and  thirty-seven  thousand  three  hundred 
and  eighty,  respectively.  Greece  returns  seventeen 
thousand  six  hundred  and  twenty,  Holland  seven  thou 
sand  two  hundred  and  sixty-four,  Belgium  nine 


30G  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

thousand  five  hundred  and  twenty-three,  while  Den 
mark  completes  the  total  of  Europe  with  four  thousand 
two  hundred  and  twenty-one.  The  inferences  to  be 
drawn  from  these  figures  are  apparent.  The  total  num 
ber  of  deaths  upon  the  Continent  up  to  midnight  last 
night  was  one  hundred  and  fifty-nine  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  thirty-eight.  The  nations  most  seriously 
affected  are  Turkey  and  the  countries  immediately  sur 
rounding  her,  namely,  Greece,  Kussia,  and  Austria. 
Germany  follows  next,  though  why  Hamburg  should 
contribute  such  a  large  proportion  as  five  thousand 
three  hundred  and  fifty  I  must  admit  it  is  difficult  to 
see.  England  hitherto  has  stood  aloof;  now,  however, 
it  has  broken  out  in  London,  and  three  hundred  and 
seventy-five  cases  have  been  notified  up  to  eight  o'clock 
this  morning." 

On  hearing  this,  the  men  standing  round  him 
turned  pale  and  shuffled  uneasily  upon  their  feet.  As 
for  myself,  I  might  have  been  changed  to  stone,  so  cold 
and  so  incapable  of  moving  was  I.  It  was  as  if  a 
bandage  had  suddenly  been  removed  from  my  eyes, 
enabling  me  to  see  everything  plainly  and  in  its  proper 
light. 

"  The  returns  for  our  own  country,"  continued  this 
indefatigable  statistician,  without  noticing  my  condi 
tion,  "  are  as  interesting  as  those  from  the  Continent. 
I  have  filed  everything  already  published,  and  have  ap 
plied  the  result  to  this  map  of  London.  The  two  cases 
that  occurred  in  Norfolk,  the  porter  in  Norwich,  and 
the  stationmaster  at  Tebworth  Junction,  I  omit,  for 
the  reason  that  they  tell  us  nothing.  Of  the  cases  noti 
fied  in  this  city,  careful  inquiries  on  the  part  of  the 
authorities  have  elicited  the  information  that  twenty- 
five  spent  the  evening  at  the  Antiquarian  Clv.b  last 
night,  seventy-one  at  the  Fancy  Dress  Ball  at  Covent 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  307 

Garden,  while,  strangely  enough,  no  less  than  thirty- 
seven  can  be  proved  to  have  been  among  the  guests  of 
the  Duchess  of  Amersham  at  her  ball  in  Carlton  House 
Terrace.  The  others  are  more  difficult  to  account  for, 
being  made  up  of  costermongers,  homeless  vagrants, 
street  hawkers,  and  others  of  the  same  class." 

I  could  bear  no  more,  but  stumbled  from  the  room 
like  a  drunken  man  out  into  the  hall  beyond.  A  ser 
vant,  thinking  I  was  ill,  hastened  to  inquire  if  he  could 
be  of  any  assistance  to  me. 

"  Get  me  a  cab,"  I  faltered  huskily. 

The  man  ran  into  the  street  and  blew  his  whistle. 
A  hansom  drove  up,  and  I  made  my  way  into  the  street 
and  scrambled  into  it,  scarcely  knowing  how  I  managed 
it,  and  then  fell  back  upon  the  cushions  as  if  I  were 
in  a  fit.  The  cab  sped  along  the  streets,  threaded  its 
way  in  and  out  of  the  traffic  with  a  dexterity  and  a 
solicitude  for  my  safety  that  was  a  more  biting  sarcasm 
than  any  lips  could  utter.  What  was  my  safety  to  me 
now?  Knowing  what  I  knew,  I  had  better,  far  better, 
be  dead. 

The  dreadful  secret  was  out.  In  less  than  five  min 
utes  the  mystery  of  two  months  had  been  solved.  Now 
I  knew  the  meaning  of  the  spot  I  had  discovered  upon 
my  arm  on  the  morning  following  my  terrible  adven 
ture  in  the  Pyramid;  now  I  could  understand  my  illness 
in  the  desert,  and  the  sudden  death  of  the  poor  Arab 
who  had  nursed  me.  In  the  light  of  this  terrible  truth, 
everything  was  as  clear  as  daylight,  and  all  I  wanted 
was  to  get  back  to  Park  Lane  and  find  myself  face  to 
face  with  Pharos,  in  order  that  I  might  tax  him  with 
it,  and  afterwards  go  forth  and  publish  his  infamy  to 
the  world.  Fast  as  the  man  was  driving,  he  could  not 
make  his  horse  go  fast  enough  for  me.  Though  at  first 
my  blood  had  been  as  cold  as  ice,  it  now  raced  through 


308  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

my  veins  like  liquid  fire.  A  feverish  nervousness  had 
seized  me,  and  for  the  time  being  I  was  little  better 
than  a  madman.  Regardless  of  the  passers-by,  con 
scious  only  of  the  vile  part  I  had  been  induced  to  play 
— unwittingly,  it  is  true — in  his  unbelievable  wicked 
ness,  I  urged  the  driver  to  greater  speed.  At  last,  after 
what  seemed  an  eternity,  we  reached  our  destination. 
I  alighted,  and,  as  I  had  done  in  Hamburg,  paid  the 
cabman  with  the  first  money  I  took  from  my  pocket, 
and  then  went  up  the  steps  and  entered  the  house.  By 
this  time  the  all-consuming  fire  of  impatience  which 
had  succeeded  the  icy  coldness  of  the  first  discovery 
had  left  me,  and  was  succeeded  by  a  strange,  unnatural 
calm,  in  which  I  seemed  to  be  myself,  and  yet  to 
be  standing  at  a  distance,  watching  myself.  In  a 
voice  that  I  scarcely  recognised,  I  inquired  from 
the  butler  where  I  could  find  his  master.  He  informed 
me  that  he  was  in  the  drawing-room,  and  I  accordingly 
went  thither  in  search  of  him.  I  had  not  the  least  no 
tion  of  what  I  was  going  to  say  to  him  when  I  found 
him,  or  how  I  should  say  it,  but  I  had  to  relieve  my 

mind  of  the  weight   it  was   carrying,  and  then 

Why,  after  that,  nothing  would  matter.  I  opened  the 
door  and  entered  the  room.  The  sunshine  was  stream 
ing  in  through  the  windows  at  the  further  end,  falling 
upon  the  elegant  furniture,  the  embroideries  and 
draperies,  the  china,  and  the  hundred-and-one  knick- 
knacks  that  go  to  make  up  a  fashionable  drawing-room. 
Of  Pharos,  however,  there  was  no  sign.  In  place  of  him 
Valerie  rose  from  a  chair  by  the  window  and  greeted 
me  with  a  little  exclamation  of  delight.  Then,  seeing 
the  look  upon  my  face,  and  the  deadly  pallor  of  my 
complexion,  she  must  have  realised  that  something 
serious  had  happened  to  me,  for  she  ran  forward  and 
took  my  hands  in  hers. 


PHAEOS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  309 

"  My  darling! "  she  cried,  with  a  look  of  terror 
upon  her  face,  "what  has  happened?  Tell  me,  for 
pity's  sake,  for  your  face  terrifies  me!" 

The  pressure  of  her  hands  and  the  sight  of  those 
beautiful  frightened  eyes  gazing  up  into  mine  cut  me 
to  the  heart.  Overwhelmed  with  sorrow  as  I  was,  she 
alone  of  all  the  world  could  soothe  me  and  alleviate  the 
agony  I  was  suffering.  It  was  not  possible,  however, 
that  I  could  avail  myself  of  her  sympathy.  I  was  dis 
honoured  enough  already,  without  seeking  to  dishonour 
her.  Here  our  love  must  end.  For  the  future  I  should 
be  an  outcast,  a  social  leper,  carrying  with  me  to  my 
grave  the  knowledge  of  the  curse  I  had  brought  upon 
my  fellow  men.  I  tried  to  put  her  from  me,  but  she 
would  not  be  denied. 

"  Oh,  what  can  have  happened  that  you  treat  me 
like  this?"  she  cried.  "Your  silence  breaks  my 
heart." 

"  You  must  not  come  near  me,  Valerie,"  I  muttered 
hoarsely.  "  Leave  me.  You  have  no  notion  what 
lam."' 

"  You  are  the  man  I  love,"  she  answered.  "  That 
is  enough  for  me.  Whatever  it  may  be,  I  have  the  right 
to  share  your  sorrow  with  you." 

"  No,  no!  "  I  cried.  "  You  must  have  no  more  to 
do  with  me.  Drive  me  away  from  you.  I  tell  you  I 
am  viler  than  you  can  believe,  lower  than  the  common 
murderer,  for  he  kills  but  one,  while,  God  help  me,  I 
have  killed  thousands." 

She  must  have  thought  me  mad,  for  she  uttered  a 
little  choking  sob  and  sank  down  upon  the  floor,  the 
very  picture  and  embodiment  of  despair.  Then  the 
door  opened  and  Pharos  entered. 

Seeing  me  standing  in  the  centre  of  the  room  with 
a  wild  look  upon  my  face,  and  Valerie  crouching  at 


310  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

my  feet,  he  paused  and  gazed  from  one  to  the  other  of 
us  in  surprise. 

"  I  am  afraid  I  am  de  trop,"  he  said,  with  the  old 
nasty  sneer  upon  his  face.  "  If  it  is  not  putting  you  to 
too  much  trouble,  perhaps  one  of  you  will  be  good 
enough  to  tell  me  what  it  means." 

Neither  of  us  answered  for  upward  of  a  minute; 
then  I  broke  the  spell  that  bound  us  and  turned  to 
Pharos.  How  feeble  the  words  seemed  when  compared 
with  the  violence  of  my  emotions  and  the  unbelievable 
nature  of  the  charge  I  was  bringing  against  him  I  must 
leave  you  to  imagine. 

"  It  means,  Monsieur  Pharos,"  I  said,  "  that  I  have 
discovered  everything." 

I  could  say  no  more,  for  a  lump  was  rising  in  my 
throat  which  threatened  to  choke  me.  It  soon  ap 
peared,  however,  that  I  had  said  enough,  for  Pharos 
must  either  have  read  my  thoughts  and  have  understood 
that  denial  would  be  useless,  or,  since  I  was  no  longer 
necessary  to  him,  he  did  not  care  whether  he  confessed 
to  me  or  not.  At  any  rate,  he  advanced  into  the  room, 
his  cruel  eyes  watching  me  intently  the  while. 

"  So  you  have  discovered  everything,  have  you,  my 
friend?"  he  said.  "And  pray  what  is  this  knowledge 
that  you  have  accumulated?" 

"How  can  I  tell  you?"  I  cried,  scarcely  knowing 
how  to  enter  upon  my  terrible  indictment.  "  How  can 
I  make  you  understand  your  wickedness?  I  have  dis 
covered  that  it  is  you  who  are  responsible  for  the  misery 
from  which  Europe  is  now  suffering.  I  know  that  it 
was  I,  through  you,  who  introduced  the  plague  and  car 
ried  it  from  Constantinople  to  London.  Inhuman 
monster!  "  I  continued,  having  by  this  time  worked 
myself  to  a  white  heat.  "  I  was  in  your  power  and  you 
made  me  your  tool.  But  you  shall  not  escape.  It  is  not 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  3H 

too  late  even  now  to  punish  you.  Within  an  hour  the 
world  shall  know  everything,  and  you  will  he  dead,  if 
devils  can  die.  I  have  been  your  tool,  but,  since  I 
know  your  wickedness,  I  will  not  be  your  accomplice. 
Oh,  my  God!  is  it  possible  that  a  man  breathing  the 
pure  air  of  heaven  can  be  so  vile?  " 

All  the  time  I  had  been  thus  denouncing  him  I 
had  been  standing  just  as  I  was  when  he  entered  the 
room,  with  Valerie  still  crouching  at  my  feet.  The 
dangerous  light  I  remembered  so  well  of  old  had  re 
turned  to  his  eyes,  making  him  look  indescribably 
fiendish. 

"  Are  you  mad  that  you  dare  to  talk  to  me  in  this 
fashion  ?  "  he  said  at  last,  but  with  a  calmness  the 
meaning  of  which  there  was  no  mistaking.  "  Since  it 
is  plain  that  you  do  not  remember  the  hold  I  have  upon 
you,  nor  what  your  fate  will  be  if  you  anger  me,  I  must 
enlighten  you.  You  bring  these  accusations  against 
me  and  you  threaten  to  betray  me  to  the  world — me, 
Pharos  the  Egyptian,  and  to  your  pitiful  world  which 
I  spurn  beneath  my  feet.  Once  more  I  ask  you,  are 
you  mad?  But  since  there  is  no  further  need  for  con 
cealment,  and  you  desire  the  truth,  you  shall  hear  it." 
He  paused,  and  when  he  spoke  again  it  was  noticeable 
that  he  had  dropped  his  former  conversational  tone 
and  had  adopted  a  manner  more  in  keeping  with  the 
solemnity  of  what  he  had  to  say.  "  Know,  then,  that 
what  thou  sawest  in  the  vision  before  the  Sphinx  and 
in  the  Temple  of  Ammon  was  the  truth,  and  not  a 
dream,  as  I  desired  thee  to  believe.  I,  whom  thou  hast 
known  as  Pharos,  am  none  other  than  Ptahmes,  son 
of  Netruhotep,  prophet  of  the  north  and  south,  the 
same  whom  Pharoah  sought  to  kill,  and  who  died  in 
hiding  and  was  buried  by  his  faithful  priests  under 
cover  of  night  more  than  three  thousand  years  ago. 


312  PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN. 

Cursed  by  the  Gods,  and  denied  the  right  of  burial  by 
order  of  the  King,  I  have  inhabited  this  shape  since 
then.  Barest  thou,  knowing  this,  pit  thyself  against 
the  servant  of  the  Mighty  Ones?  For  I  tell  thee 
assuredly  that  the  plague  which  is  now  destroying 
Europe  was  decreed  by  the  Gods  of  Egypt  against  such 
nations  as  have  committed  the  sin  of  sacrilege." 

He  paused,  and  for  a  moment  I  thought  he  would 
have  sprung  upon  me  as  he  had  done  that  night  in  my 
studio.  But  he  controlled  himself  with  an  effort,  and  a 
moment  later  his  voice  was  as  soft  and  conciliatory  and 
yet  as  full  of  malice  as  before.  I  also  noticed  that  he 
had  returned  to  his  ordinary  and  more  colloquial  tone. 

"  Are  you  anxious  to  hear  more?  If  you  are  deter 
mined  to  proclaim  my  doings  to  the  world,  it  is  only 
fit  you  should  know  everything.  I  will  willingly  con 
fess.  Why  should  I  not  do  so?  You  are  mine  to  do 
with  as  I  please.  Without  my  leave  you  are  powerless 
to  hurt  me,  and  who  would  believe  you  if  you  were  to 
tell?  No  one!  They  would  call  you  mad,  as  you  un 
doubtedly  are,  and  say  that  fear  of  the  plague  had 
turned  your  brain.  In  Naples  you  accused  me  of  the 
murder  of  Clausand,  the  curiosity  dealer.  I  denied  it 
because  the  time  was  not  then  ripe  for  me  to  acquaint 
you  with  the  truth.  Now  I  confess  it.  I  stabbed  him 
because  he  would  not  give  me  a  certain  scarabeus,  and 
to  divert  suspicion  willed  that  the  half-crazy  German, 
Schmidt,  whom  the  other  had  cast  out  of  his  service, 
should  declare  that  he  did  the  deed.  In  obedience  to 
my  desire  you  followed  me  to  Italy  and  accompanied 
me  thence  to  Egypt.  I  it  was  who  drew  you  to  the 
Pyramid  and  decreed  that  you  should  lose  your  way 
inside,  in  order  that  when  fear  had  deprived  you  of 
your  senses  I  might  inoculate  you  with  the  plague. 
Seven  days  later  you  were  stricken  with  it  in  the  desert. 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  313 

As  soon  as  3-011  recovered  I  carried  you  off  to  Europe 
to  begin  the  work  required  of  you.  In  Constantinople, 
Vienna,  Prague,  Berlin,  Hamburg,  wherever  you  went 
you  left  the  fatal  germs  of  the  disease  as  a  legacy  be 
hind  you.  You  infected  this  woman  here,  and  but  for 
me  she  would  have  died.  To-day  the  last  portion  of 
that  vengeance  which  has  been  decreed  commences,  and 
when  all  is  finished  I  go  to  that  rest  in  ancient  Thebes 
which  has  been  denied  me  these  long  three  thousand 
years.  Hark!  Even  now  the  sound  of  wailing  is  to  be 
heard  in  London.  Hour  by  hour  the  virulence  of  the 
pestilence  increases,  and  the  strong  men  and  weak 
women,  youths  and  maidens,  children  and  babes,  go 
down  before  it  like  corn  before  the  reaper.  On  every 
hand  the  voices  of  mourners  rise  into  the  summer  air, 
and  it  is  I, Ptahmes,  the  servant  of  the  Gods,  the  proph 
et  of  the  King,  the  man  whom  thou  hast  said  thou  wilt 
proclaim  to  the  world,  who  has  brought  it  about." 

Then,  lifting  his  right  hand,  he  pointed  it  at  me. 

"  Fool — fool! "  he  cried,  with  withering  scorn. 
"  Frail  atom  in  the  path  of  life,  who  art  thou  that  thou 
shouldst  deem  thyself  strong  enough  to  cope  with  me? 
Learn  then  that  the  time  is  not  yet  ripe.  I  have  further 
need  of  thee.  Sleep  again,  and  in  that  sleep  do  all  I 
shall  require  of  thee." 

As  he  said  this  his  diminutive  form  seemed  to  grow 
larger  and  more  terrible,  until  it  appeared  to  have  at 
tained  twice  its  ordinary  size.  His  eyes  shone  in  his 
head  like  living  coals  and  seemed  to  burn  into  my  brain. 
I  saw  Valerie  rise  from  the  place  wbere  she  had  hither 
to  been  crouching,  and  snatch  an  Oriental  dagger  from 
a  table.  Then,  swift  as  a  panther,  she  sprang  upon 
him,  only  to  be  hurled  back  against  the  wall  as  if  struck 
by  an  invisible  hand.  Then,  obedient  as  a  little  child, 
I  closed  my  eyes  and  slept. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

FOE  no  less  a  period  than  five  days  and  six  nights 
Pharos  kept  me  in  the  same  hypnotic  condition,  and, 
incredible  though  it  may  seem,  I  have  not  the  slightest 
recollection  of  any  one  single  circumstance  that  oc 
curred  during  the  whole  of  that  time.  Valerie  has 
since  informed  me  that  I  moved  about  the  house  very 
much  as  usual,  that  I  went  in  and  out  with  Pharos, 
but  that  I  never  spoke  to  her,  and  while  I  seemed  con 
scious  of  my  actions  and  well  enough  in  my  bodily 
health,  I  did  everything  with  that  peculiar  listless  air 
that  one  notices  in  a  man  while  walking  in  his  sleep. 
I  also  gather  from  the  same  source  that  Pharos's  be 
haviour  during  that  terrible  period  was  equally  ex 
traordinary.  Never  for  one  instant  did  he  allow  her  to 
remain  alone  with  me.  The  greater  portion  of  his 
time  was  spent  out  of  the  house  with  myself,  though  in 
Avhat  pursuit  he  was  engaged  she  could  not  discover. 
He  would  take  me  away  with  him  early  in  the  morning 
and  not  return  until  late  at  night,  when  he  would  con 
duct  me  to  my  room  and  then  retire  himself.  At  times 
he  would  scarcely  speak  a  word,  then  a  fit  of  loquacity 
would  come  over  him,  and  he  would  openly  boast  to 
her  of  the  misery  he  had  caused,  and  find  a  diabolical 
delight  in  every  bulletin  that  proclaimed  the  increasing 
virulence  of  the  plague.  To  this  day  the  picture  of 
that  impish  creature  perambulating  the  death-stricken 
streets  and  alleys  to  the  accompaniment  of  tolling  bells, 
watching  with  ghoulish  satisfaction  the  futile  efforts 
314 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  315 

of  the  authorities  to  cope  with  the  disease,  haunts  me 
like  a  nightmare.  Every  day  fresh  tidings  were  pour 
ing  in  of  the  spread  of  the  infection  into  other  cities 
and  towns  until  the  entire  kingdom  was  riddled  like  a 
honeycomb. 

liow  long  Pharos  would  have  kept  me  under  his  in 
fluence,  had  he  possessed  the  power,  1  cannot  say.  I 
only  know  that  on  the  morning  of  the  sixth  day  I  woke 
with  a  strange  and  confused  feeling  in  my  head. 
Though  my  eyes  were  open  and  I  was  to  all  outward 
appearances  wide  awake,  I  was  like  a  man  hovering 
on  the  borderland  of  sleep.  My  senses  were  gradually 
coming  Lack  to  me;  the  strength  of  my  brain  was  re 
asserting  itself,  and  by  some  strange  process,  how 
arrived  at  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  say,  the  hold  Pharos 
had  obtained  upon  me  was  slowly  weakening.  Then  it 
was  as  if  I  suddenly  awoke  to  find  myself  standing 
fully  dressed  in  my  own  room.  My  bed  had  been  slept 
in,  and  one  glance  out  of  my  window  showed  me  that 
it  was  early  morning.  And  yet  I  had  not  the  least 
recollection  of  having  been  in  bed  or  of  having  made 
my  toilet.  Then  the  scene  with  Pharos,  and  the  awful 
knowledge  it  had  given  rise  to,  came  back  to  me,  and 
I  remembered  how  he  had  pointed  his  hand  at  me,  and 
how  I  had  fallen  asleep  before  him.  Here  was  the 
logical  explanation  of  the  whole  thing.  It  was  plain 
that  after  I  had  become  unconscious,  Pharos  had  caused 
me  to  be  carried  to  my  room  and  put  to  bed.  This, 
then,  I  argued,  must  be  the  morning  following.  Now 
that  the  effect  he  had  produced  had  worn  off,  there  was 
still  time  for  me  to  do  what  I  had  originally  intended. 
Having  arrived  at  this  decision  I  opened  my  door  and 
went  downstairs.  A  curious  silence  prevailed,  not  only 
in  the  house,  but  outside.  I  stopped  on  the  first  Ian  fl 
ing  and  looked  out  of  the  window.  So  far  as  I  could 


4 

316  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

see  there  were  no  cabs  or  carriages  in  the  street,  no 
riders  in  the  Row,  no  children  with  their  nurses  upon 
the  pavements,  and  yet  the  old  Chippendale  timepiece 
in  the  hall  told  me  that  the  hour  was  considerably  past 
nine  o'clock.  A  curious  feeling  of  drowsiness  still  pos 
sessed  me,  but  it  was  fast  leaving  me,  and,  what  was 
more,  leaving  me  filled  with  but  one  purpose  in  life, 
which  was  to  seek  out  the  authorities  and  proclaim  to 
them  the  devilry  of  Pharos  and  the  part  I  had  myself 
played  in  his  abominable  wickedness.  After  that  I 
would  wait  for  Fate  to  say  what  should  become  of  me. 
Putting  on  my  hat  I  opened  the  front  door  and 
stepped  out  into  the  street.  At  any  cost  I  would  en 
deavour  to  reach  the  Home  Office,  and  tell  my  story 
there,  before  Pharos  could  prevent  me.  With  this  end 
in  view  I  hurried  toward  Piccadilly,  intending  to  take 
a  cab  there  and  so  save  time.  But  when  I  set  out  I 
had  not  the  least  notion  of  the  misery  that  had  be 
fallen  London,  nor  of  anything  that  had  happened 
since  Pharos  had  pointed  his  finger  at  me.  In  my  wild 
est  dreams  I  had  never  imagined  such  a  picture  of  deso 
lation  as  that  which  was  now  presented  to  me.  It 
seemed  impossible  that  so  terrible  a  change  should 
have  come  over  a  city  in  so  short  a  time  (I  must  remind 
you  here  that  I  still  believed  that  only  twenty  hours 
had  elapsed  since  I  had  had  my  fatal  interview  with 
Pharos).  In  all  Park  Lane  not  a  house,  save  that  occu 
pied  by  Pharos,  showed  any  sign  of  being  inhabited. 
Without  exception  the  blinds  were  down,  and  in  most 
cases  the  shutters  had  -been  put  up,  while  in  numerous 
instances  broad  lines  of  red  paint  had  been  drawn 
across  the  pavement  opposite  them,  but  for  what 
purpose,  or  their  indication,  I  had  not  the  re 
motest  idea.  In  Piccadilly,  from  Apsley  House  to 
Berkeley  Street,  it  was  the  same,  though  here  a  few 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  317 

solitary  foot-passengers  were  to  be  seen.  Thinking  I 
must  have  mistaken  the  hour,  and  that  it  was  earlier 
than  I  supposed,  I  looked  at  my  watch,  but  it  said  a 
quarter  to  ten.  In  vain  I  searched  for  a  cab  of  any 
sort.  In  the  road,  usually  so  crowded  at  that  hour  with 
vehicles  of  all  descriptions,  omnibuses,  hansoms,  private 
carriages,  vans,  and  even  costermongers'  barrows,  two 
dogs  were  fighting  over  a  piece  of  food.  But  the 
silence  was  the  worst  part  of  it  all.  Not  a  sound,  save 
the  chirruping  of  the  sparrows  in  the  trees  of  the  park, 
was  to  be  heard.  Kealising  that  it  was  useless  waiting 
for  a  cab,  I  crossed  the  road  and  entered  the  Green 
Park,  intending  to  make  my  way  to  St.  James's  Park, 
and  thence  to  the  Home  Office.  With  feverish  haste  I 
pushed  on,  walking  as  if  every  life  in  England  de 
pended  on  my  speed. 

Reaching  the  Mall,  I  crossed  into  St.  James's  Park 
and  passed  over  the  bridge  which  spans  the  lake.  Here 
the  water-birds  were  swimming  about  as  happily  as  if 
nothing  out  of  the  common  were  occurring  in  the  great 
city  around  them.  At  last  I  reached  the  office  for 
which  I  was  making.  The  Home  Secretary  at  the  time 
was  a  man  I  had  known  all  my  life,  an  upright,  honest 
Englishman  in  every  sense  of  the  word,  beloved  by 
everybody,  and  respected  even  by  his  political  oppo 
nents.  If  any  man  would  listen  to  my  story,  I  felt  con 
vinced  he  would  be  that  one.  When,  however,  I 
reached  the  office,  what  a  change  was  there!  Only  the 
day  before,  as  I  still  imagined,  the  place  had  been  teem 
ing  with  life,  every  room  filled  with  clerks,  and  exhibit 
ing  all  the  machinery  of  a  great  Government  office. 
Now,  at  first  glance,  it  appeared  deserted.  I  entered 
the  hall  in  which  I  had  been  accustomed  to  inquire 
from  the  porter  for  my  friend,  only  to  find  it  occupied 
by  a  sergeant  of  the  Guards,  who  rose  on  seeing  me. 
21 


318  PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN. 

"What  do  you  want?"  he  inquired  brusquely. 

"  I  desire  to  see  the  Home  Secretary  without  loss  of 
time,"  I  answered.  "  I  am  the  bearer  of  very  important 
information,  and  it  is  most  imperative  that  I  should  see 
him  at  once." 

"  What  is  the  information?  "  the  man  inquired  sus 
piciously.  "  The  Home  Secretary  sees  no  one  except 
on  the  most  urgent  business  now." 

"  My  business  is  the  most  urgent  possible,"  I  re 
turned.  "  If  you  will  take  my  name  to  him,  I  feel  sure 
he  will  see  me." 

"  I  shall  do  nothing  of  the  kind,"  replied  the  ser 
geant,  "  so  you  had  better  take  yourself  off.  We  don't 
want  any  of  your  kind  about  here  just  now.  There's 
enough  trouble  without  having  you  to  look  after." 

"  But  I  must  see  him!  "  I  cried  in  despair.  "  You 
don't  know  what  you  are  doing  when  you  try  to  stop 
me.  I  have  a  confession  to  make  to  him,  and  make  it 
I  will  at  any  hazard.  Take  me  to  him  at  once,  or  I 
shall  find  him  myself." 

The  man  was  moving  toward  me  with  the  evident 
intention  of  putting  me  into  the  street,  when  a  door 
opened  and  the  Home  Secretary,  Sir  Edward  Granger- 
field,  stood  before  me.  When  last  I  had  seen  him  at 
the  Duchess  of  Amersham's  ball — I  remembered  that 
he  congratulated  me  on  my  engagement  on  that  occa 
sion — he  had  looked  in  the  prime  of  life.  Now  he  was 
an  old  man,  borne  down  by  the  weight  of  sorrow  and 
responsibility  which  the  plague  had  placed  upon  his 
shoulders.  From  the  way  he  looked  at  me  it  was  plain 
he  did  not  recognise  me. 

"  Sir  Edward,"  I  said,  "  is  it  possible  I  am  so  much 
changed  that  you  do  not  know  me?  I  am  Cyril  For 
rester." 

"  Cyril  Forrester! "  he  cried  in  amazement,  coming 


PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN.  319 

a  step  closer  to  me  as  he  spoke.  "  Surely  not?  But  it 
is,  I  see.  Why,  man,  how  changed  you  are!  What 
brings  you  here,  and  what  is  it  you  want  with  me?  I 
have  not  much  time  to  spare.  I  have  an  appointment 
Avith  the  Public  Health  Commission  in  a  quarter  of  an 
hour." 

"  So  much  the  better,"  I  answered,  "  for  you  will 
then  be  able  to  acquaint  them  with  the  circumstances 
I  am  about  to  reveal  to  you.  Sir  Edward,  I  must  have 
a  few  moments'  conversation  with  you  alone.  I  have  a 
confession  to  make  to  you — the  most  hideous  tale  to 
pour  into  your  ears  that  ever  man  confided  to  another." 
Then,  recollecting  myself,  I  continued,  "  But  it  must 
not  be  here.  It  must  be  in  the  open  air,  or  I  shall  infect 
you." 

He  looked  at  me  in  a  curious  fashion. 

"  You  need  have  no  fear  on  that  score,"  he  said. 
"  I  have  had  the  plague,  and  have  recovered  from  it. 
So  far  it  has  not  been  known  to  attack  anyone  twice. 
But  since  you  wish  to  speak  to  me  alone,  come  with 
me." 

With  this  he  led  me  down  the  long  passage  to  an 
office  at  the  further  end.  Like  the  others  this  one  was 
also  deserted.  Once  inside  he  closed  the  door. 

"  Be  as  brief  as  you  can,"  he  said,  "  for  during  this 
terribly  trying  period  my  time  is  not  my  own.  What  is 
it  you  wish  to  say  to  me?  " 

"  I  wish  to  confess  to  you,"  I  said,  and  my  voice 
rang  in  my  ears  lie  a  death  knell,  "  that  I  am  the  cause 
of  the  misery  under  the  weight  of  which  England  and 
Europe  is  groaning  at  the  present  time." 

Once  more  Sir  Edward  looked  at  me  as  he  had  done 
in  the  passage  outside. 

"  I  am  afraid  I  do  not  quite  understand,"  he  said, 
but  this  time  in  a  somewhat  different  tone.  "  Do  you 


320  PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN. 

mean  that  you  wish  me  to  believe  that  you,  Cyril  For 
rester,  are  the  cause  of  the  plague  which  is  decimating 
England  in  this  terrible  manner?  "' 

"  I  do,"  I  answered,  and  then  waited  to  hear  what 
he  would  say. 

In  reply  he  inquired  whether  I  had  suffered  from 
the  disease  myself. 

"  I  was  the  first  to  have  it,"  I  answered.  "  My 
story  is  an  extraordinary  one,  but  I  assure  you  every 
particular  of  it  is  true.  I  was  inoculated  with  the  virus 
while  I  was  in  Egypt — that  is  to  say,  in  the  Queen's 
Hall  of  the  Great  Pyramid  of  Gizeh.  I  afterward 
nearly  died  of  it  in  an  Arab  tent  out  in  the  desert  be 
yond  Luxor.  Later  I  was  taken  by  a  man,  of  whom 
I  will  tell  you  more  presently,  to  Constantinople,  thence 
through  Austria  and  Germany,  and  finally  was  smug 
gled  across  the  Channel  into  England." 

"  And  who  was  the  man  who  inoculated  you?  "  in 
quired  the  Home  Secretary,  still  with  the  same  peculiar 
intonation.  "  Can  you  remember  his  name?  " 

"  He  is  known  in  England  as  Pharos  the  Egyptian," 
I  replied — "  the  foulest  fiend  this  world  has  ever  seen. 
In  reality  he  is  Ptahmes  the  Magician,  and  lie  has 
sworn  vengeance  on  the  human  race.  Among  other 
things  he  was  the  real  murderer  of  Clausand,  the  curi 
osity  dealer,  in  Bonwell  Street  last  June,  and  not  the 
inoffensive  German  who  shot  himself  after  confessing 
to  the  crime  at  Bow  Street.  He  smuggled  me  into 
England  from  Hamburg,  and  the  night  before  last  he 
took  me  all  through  London — to  the  Antiquarian  Club, 
to  the  Duchess  of  Amersham's  ball,  to  the  Fancy  Dress 
ball  that  was  held  at  Covent  Garden  the  same  night, 
and  to  many  other  places.  Everyone  I  spoke  to  be 
came  infected,  and  that,  I  assure  you,  on  my  word  of 
honour,  was  how  the  plague  originated  here.  Oh,  Sir 


PHAROS,   THE  EGYPTIAN.  321 

Edward,  you  cannot  realise  what  agonies  I  have  suffered 
since  I  became  possessed  of  this  terrible  knowledge! " 

A  short  silence  followed,  during  which  I  am  con 
vinced  I  heard  my  companion  say  very  softly  to  him 
self,  "  That  settles  it." 

Then,  turning  to  me,  he  continued,  "  You  say  you 
were  at  the  Duchess  of  Amersham's  ball  the  night  be 
fore  last?  Do  you  mean  this?  " 

"  Of  course  I  do,"  I  replied.  "  Why,  you  spoke  to 
me  there  yourself,  and  congratulated  me  upon  my  en 
gagement.  And,  now  I  come  to  think  of  it,  I  saw  you 
talking  with  Pharos  there." 

"  Quite  right,"  he  said.  "  I  did  speak  to  Monsieur 
Pharos  there.  But  are  you  sure  it  was  the  night  be 
fore  last?  That  is  what  I  want  to  get  at." 

"  I  am  as  sure  of  that  as  I  am  of  anything  in  this 
world,"  I  replied. 

"  What  you  tell  me  is  very  interesting,"  he  said, 
rising  from  his  chair — "  very  interesting  indeed,  and  I 
am  sincerely  obliged  to  you  for  coming  to  me.  Now,  if 
you  will  excuse  me,  I  must  be  going,  for,  as  I  told  you, 
I  have  a  meeting  of  the  Health  Commission  to  attend 
in  a  few  minutes.  If  I  were  you  I  should  go  back  to 
my  house  and  keep  quiet.  There  is  nothing  to  be 
gained  by  worrying  oneself,  as  you  have  evidently  been 
doing." 

"  I  can  see  that  you  do  not  believe  what  I  have  told 
you,"  I  cried  with  great  bitterness.  "  Sir  Edward,  I 
implore  you  to  do  so.  I  assure  you  on  my  honour  as  a 
gentleman,  I  will  swear,  by  any  oath  you  care  to  name, 
that  what  I  say  is  true  in  every  particular.  Pharos  is 
still  in  London,  in  Park  Lane,  and  if  you  are  quick 
you  can  capture  him.  But  there  is  not  a  moment 
to  lose.  For  God's  sake  believe  me  before  it  is  too 
late!  " 


322  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

"  I  have  listened  to  all  you  have  said,  my  dear 
Cyril/'  he  answered  soothingly,  "  and  I  can  quite  un 
derstand  that  you  believe  it  to  be  true.  You  have  been 
ill,  and  it  is  plain  your  always  excitable  imagination 
has  not  yet  recovered  its  equilibrium.  Go  home,  as  I 
say,  and  rest.  Trust  me,  you  will  soon  be  yourself  once 
more.  Now  I  must  go." 

"Oh,  heavens!  how  can  I  convince  you?"  I 
groaned,  wringing  my  hands.  "  Is  there  nothing  I  can 
say  or  do  that  will  make  you  believe  my  story?  You 
will  find  out  when  it  is  too  late  that  I  have  told  you 
the  truth.  Men  and  women  are  dying  like  sheep  to 
right  and  left  of  us,  and  yet  the  vile  author  of  all  this 
sorrow  and  suffering  will  escape  unpunished.  Is  it  any 
use,  Sir  Edward,  for  me  to  address  one  last  appeal  to 
you?" 

Then  a  notion  struck  me.  I  thrust  my  hand  into 
my  coat  pocket  and  produced  the  prescription  which 
Pharos  had  given  me  for  Valerie  in  Hamburg,  and 
which,  since  it  had  done  her  so  much  good,  I  had  been 
careful  not  to  let  out  of  my  possession. 

"  Take  that,  Sir  Edward,"  I  said.  "  I  came  to  make 
my  confesison  to  you  because  I  deemed  it  my  duty,  and 
because  of  the  load  upon  my  brain,  which  I  thought  it 
might  help  to  lighten.  You  will  not  believe  me,  so 
what  can  I  do?  This  paper  contains  the  only  prescrip 
tion  which  has  yet  been  effectual  in  checking  the  dis 
ease.  It  saved  the  life  of  Valerie  de  Vocxqal,  and  I 
can  vouch  for  its  efficacy.  Show  it  to  the  medical  au 
thorities.  It  is  possible  it  may  convince  them  that  I 
am  not  as  mad  as  you  think  me." 

He  took  it  from  me,  but  it  was  plain  to  me,  from 
the  look  upon  his  face,  that  he  believed  it  to  be  only 
another  part  of  my  delusion. 

"  If  it  will  make  your  mind  any  easier,"  he  said, 


PHAKOS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  323 

"  I  will  give  you  my  word  that  it  shall  be  placed  before 
the  members  of  the  Commission.  If  they  deem  it  likely 
that  any  good  can  result  from  it,  you  may  be  sure  it 
will  be  used." 

He  then  wished  me  good-bye,  and,  with  a  feeling 
of  unavailing  rage  and  disappointment  in  my  heart,  I 
left  the  Offices  and  passed  out  into  Whitehall.  Once 
more  I  made  my  way  into  St.  James's  Park,  and  reach 
ing  a  secluded  spot,  threw  myself  down  upon  the  turf 
and  buried  my  face  in  my  arms.  At  first  I  could  think 
of  nothing  but  my  own  shame;  then  my  thoughts 
turned  to  Valerie.  In  my  trouble  I  had  for  the  moment 
forgotten  her.  Coward  that  I  was,  I  had  considered 
my  own  safety  before  hers.  If  anything  happened  to 
me,  who  would  protect  her?  I  was  still  debating  this 
with  myself  when  my  ears  caught  the  sound  of  a  foot 
step  on  the  hard  ground,  and  then  the  rustle  of  a  dress. 
A  moment  later  a  voice  sounded  in  my  ears  like  the 
sweetest  music.  "  Thank  God!  "  it  said,  "  Oh!  thank 
God!  I  have  found  you." 

Her  cry  of  happiness  ended  in  a  little  choking  sob, 
and  I  turned  and  looked  up  to  discover  Valerie,  her 
beautiful  eyes  streaming  with  tears,  bending  over 
me. 

"How  did  you  find  me?"  I  inquired,  in  a  voice 
that  my  love  and  longing  for  her  rendered  almost  inau 
dible.  "  How  did  you  know  that  I  was  here?  " 

"  Love  told  me,"  she  answered  softly.  "  My  heart 
led  me  to  you.  You  forget  the  strange  power  with 
which  I  am  gifted.  Though  I  did  not  see  you  leave  the. 
house,  I  knew  that  you  were  gone,  and  my  instinct 
warned  me  not  only  where  you  were  going,  but 
what  you  were  going  to  do.  Cyril,  it  was  brave  of  you 
to  go.'" 

"  It  was  useless,"  I  cried.     "  I  have  failed.     He 


324:  PHAROS,   THE   EGYPTIAN. 

would  not  believe  me,  Valerie,  and  I  am  lost 
eternally! " 

"  Hush!  "  she  said.  "  Dear  love,  you  must  not  say 
such  things.  They  are  not  true.  But  rise.  You  must 
come  to  him.  All  this  morning  he  has  not  been  at  all 
the  same.  I  do  not  know  what  to  think,  but  something 
is  going  to  happen,  I  am  certain." 

There  was  no  need  for  her  to  say  to  whom  she  re 
ferred. 

I  did  as  he  commanded  me,  and  side  by  side  we 
crossed  the  park. 

"  He  has  made  arrangements  to  leave  England  this 
afternoon,"  she  continued,  as  we  passed  into  Piccadilly. 
"  The  yacht  is  in  the  Thames,  and  orders  have  been  sent 
to  hold  her  in  readiness  for  a  long  voyage." 

"  And  what  does  he  intend  doing  with  us?  " 

"  I  know  nothing  of  that,"  she  answered.  "  But 
there  is  something  very  strange  about  him  to-day. 
When  he  sent  for  me  this  morning  I  scarcely  knew  him, 
he  was  so  changed." 

We  made  our  way  along  the  deserted  streets  and 
presently  reached  Park  Lane.  As  soon  as  we  were  in 
side  the  house  I  ascended  the  stairs  beside  her,  and  it 
was  not  until  we  had  reached  the  top  floor,  on  which 
Pharos's  room  was  situated,  that  we  paused  before  a 
door.  Listening  before  it,  we  could  plainly  hear  some 
one  moving  about  inside.  When  we  knocked,  a  voice  I 
failed  to  recognise  called  upon  us  to  enter.  It  was  a 
strange  picture  we  saw  when  we  did  so.  In  a  large  arm 
chair  before  a  roaring  fire,  though  it  was  the  middle 
of  summer,  sat  Pharos,  but  so  changed  that  I  hardly 
knew  him.  He  looked  half  his  usual  size;  his  skin  hung 
loose  about  his  face,  as  if  the  bones  had  shrunken  un 
derneath  it;  his  eyes,  always  so  deep-set  in  his  head, 
were  now  so  much  sunken  that  they  could  scarcely  be 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  325 

seen,  while  his  hands  were  shrivelled  until  they  resem 
bled  those  of  a  mummy  more  than  a  man.  The  mon 
key  also,  which  was  huddled  beside  him  in  the  chair, 
looked  smaller  than  I  had  ever  seen  it.  As  if  this  were 
not  enough,  the  room  was  filled  with  Egyptian  curios 
from  floor  to  ceiling.  So  many  were  there,  indeed, 
that  there  barely  remained  room  for  Pharos's  chair. 
How  he  had  obtained  possession  of  them  I  did  not 
understand;  but  since  Sir  George  Legrath's  confession, 
written  shortly  before  his  tragic  death  by  his  own  hand, 
the  mystery  has  been  solved,  and  Pharos  confronts  us 
in  an  even  more  unenviable  light  than  before.  Hat 
ing,  loathing,  and  yet  fearing  the  man  as  I  did,  there 
was  something  in  his  look  now  that  roused  an  emotion 
in  me  that  was  almost  akin  to  pity. 

"  Thou  hast  come  in  time,"  he  said  to  Valerie,  but 
in  a  different  voice  and  without  that  harshness  to  which 
we  had  so  long  grown  accustomed.  "  I  have  been  anx 
iously  awaiting  thee." 

He  signed  to  her  to  approach  him. 

"  Give  me  your  hand,"  he  whispered  faintly. 
"  Through  you  it  is  decreed  that  I  must  learn  my  fate. 
Couarge,  courage — there  is  naught  for  thee  to  fear! " 

Taking  her  hand,  he  bade  her  close  her  eyes  and 
describe  to  him  what  she  saw.  She  did  as  she  was 
ordered,  and  for  upward  of  a  minute  perfect  silence 
reigned  in  the  room.  The  picture  they  made — the 
worn-out,  shrivelled  body  of  the  man  and  the  lovely 
woman — I  cannot  hope  to  make  you  understand. 

"  I  see  a  great  hall,  supported  by  pillars,"  she  said 
at  last,  speaking  in  that  hard,  measured  voice  I  re 
membered  to  have  heard  on  board  the  yacht.  "  The 
walls  are  covered  with  paintings,  and  two  sphinxes 
guard  the  door.  In  the  centre  is  an  old  man  with  a 
long  white  beard,  who  holds  his  arms  above  his  head." 


326  PHAKOS,   THE  EGYPTIAN. 

"  It  is  Paduamen,  the  mouthpiece  of  the  Gods/' 
moaned  Pharos,  with  a  look  of  terror  in  his  face  that 
there  was  no  disguising.  "  I  am  lost  for  ever — for 
ever;  not  for  to-day,  not  for  to-morrow,  but  for  all 
time!  Tell  me,  woman,  what  judgment  the  Mighty 
Ones  pronounce  against  me?  " 

"  Hush — he  speaks!  "  Valerie  continued  slowly;  and 
then  a  wonderful  thing  happened. 

Whether  it  was  the  first  warning  of  the  illness  that 
was  presently  to  fall  upon  me,  or  whether  I  was  so  much 
in  sympathy  with  Valerie  that  I  saw  what  she  and 
Pharos  saw,  I  cannot  say;  at  any  rate,  I  suddenly  found 
myself  transported  from  Park  Lane  away  to  that  mys 
terious  hall  below  the  Temple  of  Ammon,  of  which  I 
retained  so  vivid  a  recollection.  The  place  was  in  semi- 
darkness,  and  in  the  centre,  as  Valerie  had  described, 
stood  the  old  man  who  had  acted  as  my  guide  on  the 
other  occasion  that  I  had  been  there.  His  arms  were 
raised  above  his  head,  and  his  voice  when  he  spoke  was 
stern  yet  full  of  sadness. 

"  Ptahmes,  son  of  Netruhotep,"  he  was  saying, 
"  across  the  seas  I  speak  to  thee.  For  the  second  time 
thou  hast  been  found  wanting  in  the  trust  reposed  in 
thee.  Thou  hast  used  the  power  vouchsafed  thee  by 
the  Gods  for  thine  own  purposes  and  to  enrich  thyself 
in  the  goods  of  the  earth.  Therefore  thy  doom  is  de 
creed,  and  in  the  Valley  of  Amenti  thy  punishment 
awaits  thee.  Prepare,  for  that  time  is  even  now  upon 
thee." 

Then  the  hall  grew  dark,  there  was  a  rushing 
sound  as  of  a  great  wind,  and  once  more  I  was  back 
in  Park  Lane.  Pharos  was  crouching  in  his  chair, 
moaning  feebly,  and  evidently  beside  himself  with 
terror. 

"  What  more  dost  thou  see?  "  he  said  at  length,  and 


PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN.  327 

his  voice  was  growing  perceptibly  weaker.  "  Tell  me 
all." 

There  was  another  pause,  and  then  Valerie  spoke 
again. 

"  I  see  a  rocky  hillside  and  a  newly-opened  tomb. 
1  see  three  white  men  and  five  Arabs  who  surround  it. 
They  are  lifting  a  mummy  from  the  vault  below  with 
cords." 

On  hearing  this  Pharos  sprang  to  his  feet  with  a 
loud  cry,  and  for  a  moment  fought  wildly  with  the 
air.  Meanwhile  the  monkey  clung  tenaciously  to  him, 
uttering  strange  cries,  which  grew  feebler  every  mo 
ment.  Valerie,  released  from  her  trance,  if  by  such  a 
name  I  may  describe  it,  and  unable  to  bear  more,  fled 
the  room,  while  I  stood  rooted  to  the  spot,  powerless  to 
move  hand  or  foot,  watching  Pharos  with  fascinated 
eyes. 

As  if  he  were  choking,  he  tore  at  his  throat  with 
his  skeleton  fingers  till  the  blood  spurted  out  on  either 
side.  Little  by  little,  however,  his  struggles  grew 
weaker,  until  they  ceased  altogether,  and  he  fell  back 
into  his  chair,  to  all  intents  and  purposes  a  dead  man, 
with  the  dying  monkey  still  clinging  to  his  coat. 

After  all  I  had  lately  gone  through,  the  strain  this 
terrible  scene  put  upon  my  mind  was  too  great  for  me 
to  bear,  and  I  fell  back  against  the  wall  in  a  dead  faint. 

When  I  recovered  from  the  attack  of  brain  fever 
which  followed  the  ghastly  event  I  have  just  described, 
I  found  myself  lying  in  my  bunk  in  my  old  cabin  on 
board  the  yacht.  Valerie  was  sitting  beside  me  hold 
ing  my  hand  in  hers  and  gazing  lovingly  into  my  face. 
Surprised  at  finding  myself  where  I  was,  I  endeavoured 
to  obtain  an  explanation  from  her. 

"  Hush,"  she  said,  "  you  must  not  talk!    Let  it  suf- 


328  PHAROS,  THE  EGYPTIAN. 

fice  that  I  have  saved  you,  and  now  we  are  away  from 
England  and  at  sea  together.  Pharos  is  dead,  and  the 
past  is  only  a  bitter  memory." 

As  she  spoke,  as  if  to  bear  out  what  she  had  said,  a 
ray  of  sunshine  streamed  in  through  the  porthole  and 
fell  upon  us  both. 


THE    EXD. 


APPLETONS'   TOWN   AND   COUNTRY  LIBRARY. 


PUBLISHED    SEMIMONTHLY. 


1.  The  Steel  Hammer.    By  L.  ULBACH. 

2.  Eve.    By  8.  BAKING-GOULD. 

3.  For  Fifteen  Years.    By  L.  ULBACH. 

4.  A    Counsel  of  Perfection.      By  L. 

MALBT. 

5.  The  Deemster.    By  H.  CAINE. 
5}.   The  Bondman.    By  H.  CAINE. 

6.  A    Virginia    Inheritance.     By    E. 

PENDLETON. 

7.  Ninette.    By  the  author  of  V6ra. 

8.  "The  Eight  Honourable."     By  J. 

MCCARTHY  and  Mrs.  CAMPBELL- 
PBAED. 

9.  The  Silence  of  Dean  Maittand.    By 

M.  GRAY. 

10.  Mrs.  Larimer.    By  L  MALET. 

11 .  The  Elect  Lady.  By  G.  MACDONALD. 

12.  The  Mystery  of  the  '•'•Ocean  Star." 

By  W.  C.  RUSSELL. 

13.  Aristocracy. 

14.  A    Recoiling    Vengeance.      By    F. 

BARRETT. 

15.  The  Secret  of  Fontaine-la-  Croix.  By 

M.  FIELD. 

16.  The  .Vaster  of  Eathketty.    By  H. 

SMART. 

17.  Donovan.    By  E.  LYALL. 

18.  This  Mortal  Coil.    By  G.  ALLEN. 

19.  A  Fair  Emigrant.   By  R.  MULHOL- 

LAND. 

20.  The,  Apostate.    By  E.  DAUDET. 

21.  Raleigh  Westgate.    By  H.  K.  JOHN 

SON. 

22.  Arius  the  Libyan. 

23.  Constance*  and  Calbofs  Rival.    By 

J.  HAWTHORNE. 

24.  We  Two.    By  E.  LYALL. 

25.  A  Dreamer  of  Dreams.    By  the  au 

thor  of  Thbth. 

26.  The  Ladies'1  Gallery.    By  J.  MCCAR 

THY  and  Mrs.  CAMPBELL-PRAED. 

27.  The  Reproach  of  Annesley.    By  M. 

GRAY. 

28.  Near  to  Happiness. 

29.  In  the  Wire  Grass.    By  L.  PENDLE 

TON. 

SO.  Lace.    By  P.  LINDAU. 
30}.  The  Black  Poodle.    By  F.  ANSTEY. 

31.  American    Coin.    By  the  author  of 

Aristocracy. 

32.  Won  by  Waiting.    By  E.  LYALL. 

33.  The  Story  of  Helen  Davenant.    By 

V.  FANE. 

34.  The  Light  of  Her  Countenance.    By 

H.  H.  BOYESEN. 

35.  Mistress  Beatrice  Cope.    By  M.  E. 

LE  CLERC. 

36.  The  Knight- Err  ant.    By  E.  LYALL. 

37.  In  the  Golden  Days.    By  E  LYALL. 

38.  Giraldi.    By  R.  G.  BERING. 


39.  A  Hardy  Norseman.    By  E.  LYALL. 

40.  The  Romance  of  Jenny  Harlowe,  and 

Sketches  of  Maritime  Life.    ByW. 
C.  RUSSELL. 

41.  Passion's  Slave.   By  R.  ASHE-KING. 

42.  The  Awakening  of  Mary  fenwick. 

By  B.  WHITBY. 

43.  Countess  Loreley.    By  R.  MENGER. 

44.  Blind  Love.    By  W.  COLLINS. 

45.  The  Dean's  Daughter.    By  S.  F.  F. 

VEITCH. 

46.  Countess  Irene.    By  J.  FOGEBTY. 

47.  Robert  Browning' 's  Principal  Short 

er  Poems. 

48.  Frozen  Hearts.    By  G.  W.  APPLE- 

TON. 

49.  Djambek  the  Georgian.    By  A.  G. 

VON  SUTTNER. 

50.  The  Craze  of  Christian  Engelhart. 

By  H.  F.  DABNELL. 

51.  Lai.    By  W.  A.  HAMMOND,  M.  D. 

52.  Aline.    By  H.  GREVILLE. 

53.  Joost  Avelingh.    By  M.  MAARTENS. 

54.  Katy  of  Catoctin.    By  G.  A.  TOWN- 

SEND. 

55.  Throckmorton.    By  M.  E.  SEAWELL. 

56.  Expatriation.    By    the    author    of 

Aristocracy. 

57.  Geoffrey    Hampstead.     By    T.    S. 

JAR  vis. 

58.  Dmitri.     By  F.  W.  BAIN,  M.  A. 

59   Part  of  the  Property.  By  B.  WHITBY. 

60.  Buma.rck  in  Private  Life.     By  a 

Fellow-Student. 

61.  In  Low  Relief.    By  M.  ROBERTS. 

62.  The    Canadians   of    Old.     By    P. 

GASPE. 

63.  A  Squire  of  Low  Degree.    By  L.  A. 

LONG. 

64.  A  Fluttered  Dovecote.    By  G.  M. 

FENN. 

65.  The  Nvgents  of  Carriconna.   By  T. 

HOPKINS. 

66.  A  Sensitive  Plant.    By  E.  and  D. 

GERARD. 

67.  Dona  Luz.    By  J.  VALERA.    Trans 

lated  by  Mrs.  M.  J.  SERRANO. 

68.  Pepita  Ximenez.     By  J.   VALERA. 

Translated  by  Mrs.  M.  J.  SER 
RANO. 

69.  The  Primes  and  their  Neighbors. 

By  R.  M.  JOHNSTON. 

70.  The  Iron  Game.    By  H.  F.  KEEN  AN. 

71.  Stories  of  Old  New  Spain.    By  T. 

A.  JANVIER. 

72.  The  Maid  of  Honor.    By  Hon.  L. 

WlNGFIELD. 

73.  In  the  Heart  of  the  Storm.    By  M. 

GRAY. 

74.  Consequences.    By  E.  CASTLE. 


APPLETONS'   TOWN  AND  COUNTRY  LIBRARY .—(Continued.) 


75.  The   Three  Miss  Kings.     By  A. 

CAMBRIDGE. 

76.  A  Matter  of  Skill.    ByB.  WHITBY. 

77.  Maid  Manan,  and  Other  Stories. 

Ky  M.  E.  SEAWELL. 

78.  One  Woman's  Way.    By  E.  PEN- 

DLETON. 

Y9.  A  Merciful  Divorce.     By  F.  W. 
MAUDE. 

80.  Stephen  Ellicotfg  Daughter.     By 

Mrs.  J.  H.  NEEDELL. 

81.  One  Reason  Why.    By  B.  WHITEY. 

82.  The   Tragedy  of  Ida  Noble.    By 

W.  C.  RUSSELL. 

83.  The  Johnstown  Stage,  and  Other 

Stories.    By  R.  H.  FLETCHER. 

84.  AWidoicer  Indeed.  By  R.  BROUGH- 

TON  and  E.  BISLAND. 

85.  The  Flight  of  a  Shadow.    By  G. 

MACDONALD. 

86.  Love  or  Money.    By  K.  LEE. 

87.  NotAttinYain.  By  A.  CAMBRIDGE. 

88.  It    Happened    Yesterday.     By  F. 

MARSHALL. 

89.  My  Guardian.   By  A.  CAMBRIDGE. 

90.  The  Story  of  Philip  Methuen.    By 

Mrs.  J.  H.  NEEDELL. 

91.  Amethyst.    By  C.  R.  COLERIDGE. 

92.  Don    Braulio.     By    J.    VALERA. 

Translated  by  C.  BELL. 

93.  The  Chronicles  of  Mr.   BUI   Wil 

liams.    By  R.  M.  JOHNSTON. 

94.  A  Queen  of  Curds  and  Crtam.  By 

D.  GERARD. 

95.  "La  Bella  "  and  Others.    By  E. 

96.  "  December  Roses."  By  Mrs.  CAMP- 

BELL-PRAED. 

97.  Jean  de  Kerdren.    By  J.  SCHULTZ. 

98.  Efelka's  Vow.    By  T>.  GERARD. 

99.  Crosscurrents.  By  M.  A.  DICKENS. 

100.  Hif  Life's  Magnet.  By  T.  ELMSLIE. 

101.  Passing  the  'Love  of  Women.     By 

Mrs.  J.  H.  NEEDELL. 

102.  In  Old  St.  Stephen's.  By. I.  DRAKE. 

103.  The  Berkleys  and  their  Neighbors. 

By  M.  E.  SEAWELL. 

104.  Mono  Maclean,  Medical  Student. 

By  G.  TRAVKRS. 

105.  Mrs.  Bligh.    By  R.  BROUGHTON. 

106.  A   Stumble  on  the  Threshold.    By 

J.  PAYN. 

107.  Hanging  Mots.    By  P.  LINDAU. 

108.  A    Comedy  of  Elopement.    By  C. 

REID. 

109.  In  the  Svntime  of  her  Youth.    By 

B.  WHITBY. 

110.  Stoi-ir*  in  Black  and  White.    By  T. 

HARDY  and  Others. 
110J.  An  Englishman  in  Paris. 

111.  Commander  Mendoza.    By  J.  VA- 

LEKA. 

112.  Dr.  Paull's  Theory.    By  Mrs.  A.  M. 

DIEHL. 


113.  Children  of  Destiny.     By  M.   E. 

SEAWELL' 

114.  A  Little  Minx.    By  A.  CAMBRIDGE. 

115.  Capt'n  Davy's  Honeymoon.    By  II. 

CAINE. 

116.  The.   Voice  of  a  Flower.     By  E. 

GERARD. 

Singularly  Deluded.  ByS.  GRAND. 
Suspected.    By  L.  STRATENUS. 
Lucia,  Hugh,  and  Another.     By 

Mrs.  J.  H.  NEEDELL. 

120.  The  Tutor's  Secret.    By  V.  CHER- 

BULIEZ. 

121.  From  the  Five  Rivers.   By  Mrs.  F. 

A.  STEEL. 

122.  An  Innocent  Impostor,  and  Other 

Stones.    By  M.  GRAY. 

123.  Ideala.     By  S.  GRAND. 

124.  A  Comedy  of  Masks.    By  E.  DOW- 

SON  and  A.  MOORE. 

125.  Relics.    By  F.  MACNAB. 

126.  Dodo:  A  Detail  of  the  Day.    By 

E.  F.  BENSON.     " 

127.  A  Woman  of  Forty.  By  E.  STUART. 

128.  Diana  Teinpest.    By  M.  CHOLMON- 

DELEY. 

129.  The  Recipe  for  Diamonds.    Bv  C. 

J.  C.  HYNE. 

130.  Christina  Chard.    By  Mrs.  CAMP- 

BELL-PRAED. 

131.  A    Gray  Eye  or   So.      By   F.   F. 

MOORE. 

132.  Earlscourt.    By  A.  ALLARDYCE. 

133.  A    Marriage    Ceremony.      By    A. 

CAMBRIDGE. 

134.  A   Ward  in   Chancery.     By  Mrs. 

ALEXANDER. 

135.  Lot  13.    By  D.  GERARD. 

136.  Our    Manifold    Nature.      By    S. 

GRAND. 

137.  A  Costly  Freak.    By  M.  GRAY. 

138.  A  Beginner.    By  R.  BROUGHTOJJ. 

139.  A  Yellow  Aster.    By  Mrs.  M.  CAF- 

FYN  C'TOTA"). 

140.  The  Rubicon.    By  E.  F.  BENSON. 

141.  The  Trespafser.  "By  G.  PARKER. 

142.  The  Rich  Miss  Riddell.     By  D. 

GERARD. 

143.  Mary  Femrick's  Daughter.    By  B. 

WHITBY. 

144.  Red  Diamonds.   By  J.  MCCARTHY. 

145.  A  Daughter  of  Music.    By  G.  COL. 

MORE. 

146.  Outlaw  and  Lawmaker.    By  Mrs. 

OAMPBELL-PRAED. 

147.  Dr.  Janet  of  Harley  Street.    By  A. 

KENEALY. 

148.  Qeorne  Manderttle's  Husband.    By 

C.  E.  RAIMOND. 

149.  Vashti  and  Either. 

150.  Timor's    Two    Worlds.     By    M. 

JOKAI. 

151.  A  Victim  of  Good  Luck.    By  W.  E. 

NORRIS. 


APPLETON91   TOWN  AND   COUNTRY  LIBRARY.— (Continued.) 


152.  The   Trail  of  the  Sword.    By  G. 

PARKER. 

153.  A  Mild  Barbarian.    By  E.  FAW- 

154.  The    God    in    the   Car.     By   A. 

HOPE. 

155.  Children  of  Circumstance.  By  Mrs. 

M.  CAFFTN. 

156.  At  the  Gate  of  Samaria.    By  W.  J. 

LOCKE. 

157.  The  Justification  of  Andrew  Le- 

brun.    tiy  P.  BARRETT. 

158.  Dust  and  Laurels.    By  M.  L.  PEN- 

DERED. 

159.  The  Good  Ship  Mohock.    By  W.  C. 

RUSSELL. 

160.  Noemi.    By  8.  BARING-GOULD. 

161.  The  Honour  of  Savelli.     By  8.  L. 

YEATS. 

162.  Kitty's  Engagement.    By  F.  WAR- 

BEN. 

163.  The  Mermaid.    By  L.  DOUGALL. 

164.  An  Arranged  Marriage.     By  D. 

GERARD. 

165.  Eve's  Hansom.    By  G.  GISSINQ. 

166.  The  Marriage  of  Esther.    By  G. 

BOOTHBY. 

167.  Fidelis.    By  A.  CAMBRIDGE. 

168.  Into  the  Highway  sand  Hedges.  By 

F.  F.  MONTRESOH. 

169.  The  Vengeance  of  James  Vansittart. 

By  Mrs.  J.  H.  NEEDELL. 

170.  A  Study   in   Prejudices.      By  G. 

PASTON. 

171.  The  Mistress  of  Quest.    By  A.  SER 

GEANT. 

172.  In  the  Year  of  Jubilee.   By  G.  Gis- 

SING. 

173.  In    Old  New    England.     By   H. 

BUTTERWORTH. 

174.  Mrs.  Musff rave— and  Her  Husband. 

By  R.  MARSH. 

175.  Not  Counting  the  Cost.    By  TASMA. 

176.  Out  of  Due  Season.    By  A.  SER 

GEANT. 

177.  Scylla    or    Charybdis?     By     R. 

BROCGHTON. 

178.  In  Defiance  of  the  King.    By  C.  C. 

179.  A     Bid    for    Fortune.     By    G. 

BOOTHBT. 

180.  The  King  of  Andaman.    By  J.  M. 

COBBAN. 

181.  Mrs.   Tregaskiss.    By  Mrs.  CAMP- 

BELL-PRAED. 

182.  The  Desire  of  the  Moth.    By  C. 

VANE. 

183.  A  Self -Denying  Ordinance.    By  M. 

HAMILTON. 

184.  Successors  to  the  Title.    By  Mrs.  L. 

B.  WALFORD. 

185.  The  Lost  Stradivarius.    By  J.  M. 

FALKNER. 

186.  The  Wrong  Man.    By  D.  GERARD. 


187.  In  the  Day  of  Adversity.    By  J. 

BLOUNDELLE-BURTON. 

188.  Mistress  Dorothy  Marvin.    By  J.  C. 

SNAITH. 

189.  A  flash  of  Summer.    By  Mrs.  W. 

K.  CLIFFORD. 

190.  The  Dancer  in  Yellow.    By  W.  E. 

NORRIS. 

191.  The  Chronicles  of  Martin  Heivitt. 

By  A.  MORRISON. 

192.  A    Winning    Hazard.      By   Mrs. 

ALEXANDER. 

193.  The  Picture  of  Las  Cruces.    By  C. 

REID. 

194.  The  Madonna  of  a  Day.    By  L. 

DOUGALL. 

195.  The  Riddle  Ring.    By  J.  MCCAR 

THY. 

196.  A  Humble  Enterprise.    By  A.  CAM 

BRIDGE. 

197.  Dr.  Nikola.    By  G.  BOOTHBY. 

198.  An  Outcast  of  the  Islands.    By  J. 

CONRAD. 

199.  The  King's  Revenge.    By  C.  BRAY. 

200.  Denounced.     By  J.  BLOUNDELLE- 

BURTON. 

201.  A  Court  Intrigue.    By  B.  THOMP 

SON. 

202.  The  Idol-Maker.    By  A.  SERGEANT. 

203.  The  Intriguers.    By  J.  D.  BARRY. 

204.  Master  Ardick,  Buccaneer.     By  F. 

H.  COSTELLO. 

205.  With  Fortune  Made.    By  V.  CHER- 

BULIEZ. 

206.  Fellow  Travellers.  By  G.  TRAVERS. 

207.  McLeod  of  the  Camerons.    By  M. 

HAMILTON. 

208.  The   Career  of  Candida.    By   G. 

PASTON. 

209.  Arrested.    By  E.  STUART. 

210.  Tatterley.    By  T.  GALLON. 

211.  A  Pir.c'ibeck  Goddess.    By  Mrs.  J. 

M.  FLEMING  (A.  M.  Kipling). 

212.  Perfection  City.    By  Mrs.  ORPEN. 

213.  A    Spotless    Reputation.      By   D. 

GERARD. 

214.  A  Galahad  of  the  Creeks.    By  8.  L. 

YEATS. 

215.  The  Beautiful  White  Devil.    By  G. 

BOOTHBY. 

216.  The  Sun  of  Saratoga.     By  J.  A. 

ALTSHELEH. 

217.  Fierceheart,  the  Soldier.    By  J.  C. 

SNAITH. 

218.  Marietta's   Marriage.    By  W.   E. 

NORRIS. 

219.  Dear  Faustina.  By  R.  BROUGHTON. 

220.  Nulma.  By  Mrs.  CAMPBELL- PRAED. 

221.  The  Folly  of  Pen  Harrington.    By 

J.  STURGIS. 

222.  A  Colonial  Free-Lance.    By  C.  C. 

HOTCHKISS. 

223.  His  Maiesty's  Greatest  Subject.    By 

8.  8.  THORBURN. 


APPLE-TONS'  TOWN  AND  COUNTRY  LIBRARY. -(Continued.) 


224.  Mifanwy :  A  Welsh  Singer.    By  A. 

R"AINE. 

225.  A  Soldier  of  Manhattan.    By  J.  A. 

ALTSHELER. 
220.  Fortune's    Footballs.     By    G.  B. 

BUBGIN. 

227.  The  Clash  of  Arms.   By  J.  BLOUN- 

DELLE-BURTON. 

228.  God's  Foundling.    By  A.  J.  DAW- 

SON. 

229.  Miss  Providence.    By  D.  GEKARD. 

230.  The  Freedom  of  Henry  Meredyth. 

By  M.  HAMILTON. 

231.  Sweethearts  and  Friends.    By  M. 

GRAY. 

232.  Sunset.    By  B.  WHITE Y. 

233.  A  Fiery  Ordeal.    By  TASMA. 

234.  A  Prince  of  Mischance.  By  T.  GAL 

LON. 

235.  A    Passionate    Pilgrim.      By    P. 

WHITE. 

236.  This  Little  World.    By  D.  C.  MUR 

RAY. 

237.  A  Forgotten  Sin.    By  D.  GERARD. 

238.  The   Incidental    Bishop.     By  G. 

ALLEN. 

239.  The  Lake  of  Wine.    By  B.  CAPES. 

240.  A  Trooper  of  the  Empress.    By  C. 

Ross. 

241.  Tom  Sails.    By  A.  RAINE. 

242.  MaUrfamilias.   By  A.  CAMBRIDGE. 

243.  John  of  Strathbourne.    By  R.  D. 

CHETWODE. 


244. 
245. 

24C. 
247. 
248. 
249. 

250. 
251. 

252. 
253. 
2S4. 
255. 
256. 
257. 
258. 
259. 
260. 
261. 


The  Millionaires.  By  P.  F.  MOORE. 
The  Looms  of  Time.    By  Mrs.  H. 

FRASER. 

The  Queen's  Cvp.  By  G.  A.  HEMTY. 
Dicky  Monteith.    By  T.  GALLON. 
The  Lust  of  Hate.  By  G.  BOOTUBY. 
The  Gospel  Writ  in' Steel.    By  AR 
THUR  PATERSON. 
The  Widower.    By  W.  E.  NORRIS. 
The    Scourge   of    God.       By    J. 

BLOUNDELLE  BURTON. 
Concerning  Isabd   C'amaby.     By 

ELLEN  THORNEYCROFT  FOWLER. 
The  Impediment.     By  DOROTHEA 

GERARD. 
Belinda— and  Some  Others.      By 

ETHEL  MAUDE. 
The  Key  of  the  Holy  House.    By 

ALBERT  LEE. 
A  Writer  of  Books.     By  GEORGE 

PASTON. 
The  Knight  of  the  Golden  Chain. 

By  R.  D.  CHETWODE. 
Ricroft  of  Withens.     By  HALLI- 

WELL   SUTCLIFFE. 

The  Procession  of  Life.    By  HCR- 
ACE  A.  VACHELL. 
By   Berwen   Banks.     By   ALLEN 


TO    Berw 
RAINE. 


Pharos,  the  Egyptian.     By   GUY 

BOOTHBY. 


"In  this  large  collection  the  purchaser  can  hardly  make  a  mistake,  as  in 
the  series  will  be  found  leading  works  of  fiction,  written  by  leading 
authors." — New  York  Times. 

"In  their  '  Town  and  Country  Library,'  as  it  is  known  familiarly,  the 
Messrs.  Appleton  have  been  remarkably  successful,  both  in  preserving  a 
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crimination  used  in  selecting  tales  that  arc  clean,  pure,  and  withal  of  interest 
to  the  average  reader's  intelligence ;  and,  furthermore,  to  the  fact  that  the 
editors  have  been  using  American  stories  more  and  more  frequently." — 
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introduced." — Rochester  Herald. 

"  The  red  volumes  of  '  The  Town  and  Country  Library '  .  .  .  are  well 
known  all  over  the  United  States,  and  it  is  uncommon  to  enter  a  drawing- 
room  car  on  a  railroad  train  without  seeing  two  or  three  of  them  in  hand  or 
strapped  in  the  wraps.  They  cover  the  best  English  fiction  outside  the 
magazines  and  the  novels  of  a  few  privileged  writers  who  make  special 
arrangements  with  special  publishers.' ' —  Worcester  Gazette. 


D.  APPLETON   AND   COMPANY,   NEW   YORK. 


University  of  California 

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from  which  it  was  borrowed. 


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